If you’ve taken the Mike Greiner’s Furniture Warehouse trailer on Boulevard, you’ve probably noticed that the items accepted have changed. what is going on? Section for plastic recycling has been removed 3-7. This was a decision based on many factors, the first of which was ‘contamination’, and the amount of material placed in this compartment by the occupants was unacceptable for a trailer in the first place. This compartment required extensive sorting each time the trailer was emptied. Inside was glass, styrofoam, plastic bags, plastic film, and luckily there was also an air conditioner and a dial phone in the room. Another factor is that the time required to classify this parcel has become unsustainable. The program was originally intended to be very simple and sustainable. Manually sorting all these unacceptable items has created other problems, such as partnering with the Colfax County Recycling Facility. All the non-recyclable items we brought into their facility had to be disposed of, adding to our trash bill. Suppliers also complained that “recyclable” products were sometimes brought in unrinsed and not even emptied of liquid. For these reasons, we have finally made the decision not to accept these plastics in our trailers. Residents are welcome to bring plastic 3-7 into Skyler’s facility, but recycling he is no longer allowed in his trailer.
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Another question is when will the other trailers come out? Well, hopefully by next week! Trailer number 2 is located in downtown Columbus. More details will be announced in the near future.
With the trailer change, we told the community that these trailers are renting space, that these companies have generously allowed us space for their trailers, and that the area I would like to reiterate that I would like you to respect the Do not leave bags of supplies around your trailer as the notorious high winds here can blow your supplies onto your trailer or nearby property. As with recycling, the basics of making sure items belong in one of the compartments first and are clean and dry apply. Even if you put the items in a bag, unfortunately they will be put directly into the trash without being sorted. Regardless of the recycling mark or number, we do not accept glass, plastic bags, film, etc. A small triangle number on the item identifies the type of plastic. For example, plastic water and soda bottles have a small triangle with #1 on the bottom of the container. This means it’s #1 plastic and should go in that compartment. These trailers aren’t ideal for a community our size, so flattening your product would be very helpful. For example, the milk jug compartment is much more roomy if you remove the jug lid and step on it to lay it flat.
We cannot do this without the support of the local community. There are many individuals who want to recycle. We may need to learn a little bit about what we do locally. If you find someone not using it correctly, please help them. The small number on the bottom of the item may be difficult to see or may be a different number. Please help others if you notice something is not done properly during your stay. Otherwise, our number is printed large on the back of the trailer. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call us.
Vanessa Oseguera is the Executive Director of ‘Keep Columbus Beautiful’. Her column usually appears on Columbus Her Telegram on the second Friday of each month.