Have you ever wondered “Does anyone notice if I recycle?” The answer is - yes! Whenever you put your recycling bin out at the curb, Butler County Department of Environmental Services tracks the amount of recyclable material collected as well as the waste that goes to area landfills. So, just how are we doing with recycling performance in Monroe?
Monroe residents recycled nearly 17% (298 tons!) of waste last year, putting us ahead of Oxford (14%), Fairfield (12%), Trenton (8%), Hamilton (6%) and Middletown (3%). We nearly doubled the rate of the highest performing township (Fairfield, 9%).
A look at 2006 recycling data reveals that Butler County residents recycled on average only 7.5 percent of the total waste that they generated. In other words, more than 92 percent of what we use gets thrown away. Statistics from Ohio’s landfills reveal that 67 percent of the waste we generate can be recycled. Think about the material you handle everyday — paper, junk mail, newspaper, cereal boxes, cardboard, plastic, aluminum cans, food jars, and soup cans. How much of this material is making it into your recycling bin? While over the past two years, Butler County has maintained a flat 7 percent recycling rate, the amount of waste generated by residents has increased by almost 15 percent, or more than 17,000 tons in the same period. Recycling is not keeping pace with waste generation.
Butler County Environmental Services pays a recycling dividend back to local jurisdictions based on the amount of material residents recycle. Last year, as a result of recycling, more than $64,000 was returned to Butler County communities. The incentive payment is based on a $7 per ton ratio for every ton of recyclable material that is collected. The more you recycle the greater the reward. The City of Monroe received $3,330 for last year.
If you need a bin, please contact the City Building at 539-7374. Once you have a bin, you can put all of your recyclable material there. There’s no need to separate materials – everything goes into the bin: all paper, cardboard (broken down into 3’x3’), No. 1 and No. 2 plastics, all glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, paperboard (cereal boxes, etc.), and metal cans. Materials are separated at Rumpke’s recycling facility using hands-on labor and sorting technology.
Although Monroe is the leader in the area, there is still room for improvement. Since 67% of what we throw away is recyclable, we still have plenty of room for improvement. The challenge is getting people to rethink recycling, to recognize that recyclables are not waste, but a commodity and resource. It helps save space in the local landfills and brings dollars back home that can be used for city improvements. Please recycle – at home, at work and at school.
Anne Fiehrer Flaig, Solid Waste Coordinator for Butler County Department of Environmental Services contributed to this article.
ACCEPTABLE ITEMS FOR RECYCLING
- Plastic bottles #1 and #2, no lids
- Glass jars and bottles of any color
- Aluminum, steel and bi-metal cans
- Empty aerosol cans with lids and tips removed
- Brown paper grocery bags
- Paper and other mixed office paper, junk mail, magazines, envelopes with and without windows, newspapers with inserts, telephone books
- Corrugated cardboard, broken down to 3’x 3’ pieces
- Paperboard, such as cereal boxes and beverage cartons