We all want to go green and reduce, reuse, and recycle. However, the recycling process can be very inconvenient and sometimes more costly for consumers. Local Solid Waste Authorities and Waste Management needs to facilitate ease and convenience for customers trying to recycle. Recycling can be much more difficult to follow than simply discarding materials in the trash. The mountain state prides itself on natural beauty and an “almost Heaven” atmosphere. Who wants our beautiful valleys becoming landfills after the existing ones overfill and they begin looking for new places to dump? Rivers and creeks polluted to the point that summer swimming and boating are undesirable. I hate to go walking, taking in all the natural majestic scenery and all of a sudden stumble across litter or worse -- old rusting appliances in the middle of the woods.
Incentive-based recycling programs are necessary to increase the number of residents recycling their waste. Such programs offer innovative ways to facilitate convenience and compensation for recycling. Many West Virginia residents would be more motivated to recycle with such programs available.
Recycling can be very difficult, especially for the many West Virginians living outside city limits and in very remote, rural areas. For those trying to participate, the process can be a hindrance. The most accessible method is curbside collection of recyclable materials. The service is not available to most West Virginians living outside of city limits. Therefore, if a such a household wants to participate in recycling, they must increase their carbon footprint by driving and hauling their recyclable materials to a drop-off location. The seemingly simple task of finding a proper place to drop off these items within a reasonable distance can be frustrating.
Recycling is vital in West Virginia. Landfills are overflowing. Creeks and rivers are being polluted by excessive waste. Much of our garbage, especially electronic waste is shipped to third world countries where people will scavenge for scrap metals exposing themselves to many types of hazards.
The West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board (the primary authority for the funding and operating of solid waste in the state) has conducted and compiled extensive studies and research regarding waste and recycling efforts. According to a study completed nearly a decade ago by the West Virginia University Regional Research Institute and the Solid Waste Management Board by GAI Consultants of Charleston, WV, projected municipal solid waste tonnage in Kanawha County alone is estimated to be at 11,382 this year. A more recent study would probably foresee a far greater amount.
West Virginia is falling behind its own recycling goals. Based on a study completed by the WV Recycling Measurement Committee, it was indicated that recycled waste was at a rate of only 16%. According to Legislative goals, WV should be recycling at a rate of 30%. With solid waste management's current lack of recycling resources for consumers, the WV Solid Waste Management Board has declared it almost impossible to reach the recycling goals set forth by local legislature.
We could use more jobs: green jobs. West Virginia’s recycling centers employ almost 1000 people and provide an annual payroll estimated to be over $23 million. Employees range from drivers, collectors and processors, office workers to coordinators and managers. Establishing more recycling facilities and programs would create many more jobs that are greatly needed. The need for more accessible recycling facilities would increase if the rate of recycling increases.
Incentive-based programs such as Pay As You Throw (PAYT) and RecycleBank offer convenience and compensation for recycling participation. PAYT allows residents to pay for their garbage collection based on volume as opposed to the standard flat fee. This encourages consumers to waste less, reuse and recycle more. RecycleBank actually rewards its participants for recycling. By collaborating with cities and garbage collectors, RecycleBank attaches a radio frequency identification tag to the participant's bins. The collection truck then reads these tags when the bin is weighed. The weight of recyclable materials is converted to points redeemable online for a wide range of goods and services. RecycleBank proudly states that households receive $200 to $300 a year in rewards through their program. Imagine gift shopping without money but instead with environmental acts of kindness. The company claims to have helped cities save millions of dollars in landfill disposal fees, as well as saved millions of trees, and millions of gallons of oil.
Residents will be more willing to recycle if they are motivated with incentive-based programs. With such a program, Solid Waste Authorities could make recycling easier for consumers and help preserve our beloved natural landscape while creating more jobs in the Mountain state.
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