Bad behavior at recycling bins is making a mess in Scioto and Lawrence County. Rick Jansen, Executive Director of the Lawrence/Scioto Solid Waste Management district says the messy actions of a few have cost two recycling locations already.
He provided photographs of two recycling bins overflowing with trash to illustrate the problem. The issue is more than too many recyclables stuffed into bins. “We find all types of things in the recycling bins, tires, furniture, swimming pools, lots of plastic totes, tools, dead animals, car parts, and pretty much everything else a person could think.”
That means a lot of extra work for employees of the district. “When we see contaminated bins the solid waste department goes through the bins and removes items that are not recyclable. These items are then loaded up in a truck and taken to the Portsmouth Transfer Station or a roll off dumpster. This does take a lot of man-hours and it takes away from the time we would like to be doing litter pickup. Contaminated recycling bins if not caught quick enough can cause an entire truckload to be turned away from the recycling stream and the entire load would then head to a landfill which is not what we are trying to do.”
Easy Steps To Help
Two easy ways that people can help are to flatten all cardboard boxes to leave more room in bins and dump all items from plastic bags into the bins and return the plastic bags to the store for recycling. “Plastic bags interfere with the recycling equipment. Bags get tangled up in the equipment and cause the machines to be shut down to cut the plastic bags out of the equipment.”
Littering is a Crime
Jansen reminded people that recycling locations are not owned by the government. “. These sites are provided by businesses and individuals who want to see a recycling program in the area. The property owners get upset when items are dumped on the ground or on top of the bins. When the wind picks up these items blow all over the place. People placing items on the ground or on top of the bins are technically littering and fines can be assessed. This is why it is so important for people to flatten all cardboard. When the bins are full bring your items back another day. Most bins are dumped 2-3 times per week, so bringing the items back in a day or two would save people from a littering fine.”
He also reminded people that burning and dumping garbage can get you into big trouble. “burning garbage is an unclassified felony in the State Of Ohio with penalties of $10,000 – $25,000 and 2-4 years incarceration. This is the same penalty for people dumping tires.”
People should also be aware that recycling locations are monitored by hidden cameras, so bad behavior will be caught on video.
Jansen suggested that citizens follow their Facebook site to learn more. “We are here to help and want a better future for all citizens – everyone needs to be part of the solution. Report concerns to 740-532-1231 and leave a message if we can’t get to the phone. All calls are kept confidential.”
