Ferré

Thank you, Wallowa County, for your belief and focus on reducing, reusing and recycling. The volume of materials being collected at the recycling center, (tin & aluminum cans, white & mixed paper, glass, cardboard and No. 1 & No. 2 plastics, (excluding things like clam shells, salad containers, cookie containers, etc.) is rising, and the quality of the materials being dropped off is improving, (thank you for taking the caps off all your glass and plastic containers). A few of the differences your recycling efforts are making are:

• Reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills.

• Conserving natural resources such as timber, water and minerals.

• Increasing economic security by tapping a domestic source of materials.

• Preventing pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials.

• Saving energy.

• Supporting American manufacturing and conserving valuable resources.

• Helping create jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the U.S.

The Recycling Task Force created by the Wallowa County commissioners has evolved into an advocacy group called Friends of Wallowa County Recycling, and is committed to a long-term plan to improve and expand our recycling while helping us all reduce the amount of solid waste we generate.

During the winter months we are having volunteers at the Recycle Center on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays to sort materials, help recyclers, keep the center organized and help with processing all that we receive. We need your help with this and ask that you email us at wallowacountyrecycling@gmail.com to let us know you if would be interested in helping. Everyone is welcome, and everyone can help make a difference even if it is just for a few hours.

Recycling is critically important. A single recycled plastic bottle saves enough energy to run a 100-watt bulb for four hours, and it also creates 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than would be created when making a new bottle.

What is even more important than recycling the plastics we use is to use far less plastics. Currently at our recycling center, and many others around the country, we can only accept No. 1 and No. 2 plastics, (excluding clam shells, berry boxes, salad containers, etc.) All other plastics wind up in the ocean, or in an osprey’s nest, or in the digestive system of that beautiful steelhead, or sitting in our landfills for up to 1,000 years. We want to challenge all of us to reduce the amount of plastic we use.

Buy drinks in aluminum cans or glass bottles, not plastic bottles. Skip items that are not packaged in the materials accepted at the Recycling Center, buy a big block of cheese rather than the already sliced smaller packages, buy a few avocados and make your own guacamole, skip the plastic produce bags at the store, buy things in bulk, buy refillable items, shop for items packaged in tin, aluminum, paper, cardboard or glass, and skip the items packaged in plastic.

Yes, it can be inconvenient, but the difference we can each make by demanding how manufacturers package their products, through what we spend our money on, can and will make a world of difference.

Thank you again for the difference you are making and continue to encourage your friends and family members to become avid recyclers and plastic avoiders.

Feel free to send us your questions, ideas, thoughts and/or interest in volunteering to wallowacountyrecycling@gmail.com.