Ellwood City’s recycling program is down in the dumps. The landfill to be exact.
The situation has gotten so bad, according to Ellwood City Manager David Allen, that waste management companies are refusing to take our items.
He said in a recent council meeting that when one of these companies hears the name Ellwood City, they want nothing to do with our waste.
This is happening, Allen said, because non-recyclable items are ending up in the recycling containers. Stuff such as grass clippings, dead animals, liquids that aren’t meant to be disposed of in regular trash and recycling containers, and other items are making it into the regular trash collection and recycling. Borough employees are finding these not-for-recycling items hidden among or under recyclable items. Allen said he believes that residents might be trying to bypass the yellow bag system currently in place and that such actions aren’t doing the borough, the environment, or the community any favors. Because of this situation, items meant for recycling are actually being sent to the landfill because they are contaminated with garbage.
He confirmed that over half of items being disposed of for recycling is actually garbage.
Allen said he is currently exploring options other than the yellow bag system currently in place, and plans to educate residents on what items are considered garbage vs. recyclables. Ellwood City is under contract with Valley Waste through 2020, but Allen hopes to find a resolution before that contract expires.
Why not just dump it all in New Castle?
Who would notice?
The “elephant in the room” question should be, who is ultimately responsible for disposal of something (plastic) that, once produced, is basically here forever. Who gets the bill? The consumer that buys it or the manufacturer that produces it? Unless it is recycled, it is thrown into a landfill and it NEVER goes away. The world is currently producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic each year. 50% of that is single use meaning, used once and thrown away.