Education Key to Recycling.

Public Works Committee members heard presentations on recycling from representatives of three area solid waste haulers at their meeting Tuesday afternoon. The City’s current solid waste contract with American Disposal ends in September.

Each company represented offers a recycling program in a nearby city. USA Waste has a drop off site and voluntary curbside recycling in Joplin. BF has drop off sites and voluntary recycling in Springfield, mandatory recycling in Cassville and several cities with drop off sites only. American Disposal handles mandatory recycling in Webb City and voluntary recycling in Carl Junction.

In addition to explaining what recycling options their company offers, each representative stressed three major points: educating the public in order to have a successful program, the cost involved with recycling, and the need for manned drop off points if a drop off site is wanted.

"Education is a big issue with recycling," said Dan Janson of USA Waste.

In their presentations, Terry Stone of BF and Lowell Berliew of American Disposal also acknowledged that education is the backbone of a successful program. BF offers a curriculum to be used in local schools and provides information with the bins they distribute to citizens. Stone also showed a sample of an ad that could run during an education period prior to beginning a program.

Berliew spoke of the education and awareness efforts in Webb City saying there was a 6 to 12 month learning curve when their program began.

Although the purpose of the discussions Tuesday afternoon was only to determine the options available, the representatives touched on the cost of recycling programs.

"Not to say we’re against recycling, but there are also costs associated with doing it -- a specialized truck, a separate route, a separate driver," said Janson of USA Waste. "I’ve got to pay for everything associated with that. Where recycling does save you money is it takes away from the solid waste stream."

Manned drop off sites as opposed to unmanned ones were highly encouraged by all three representatives. Unmanned sites incur greater contamination of recyclables with unrecyclable trash.

"The manned ones work best," said Stone of BF, "but the next best thing is one that can be locked up."

Harry Rogers of the Region M Solid Waste District spoke to the Committee following the recycling presentations. According to Rogers, there are no requirements from state government concerning recycling. The solid waste law passed in the early 1990s called for a goal of 40% reduction in the solid waste flow statewide by June 15, 1998, but did not require cities to meet the goal.

Rogers encouraged the Committee to call on Region M to help the City in setting up a recycling program and said grants are available for education and other aspects of starting a program.

Rogers pointed to the "pay as you throw" system in Webb City as a fair system.

"If you choose to recycle, you basically cut your bill -- you’re in charge," said Rogers. "If you don’t choose to recycle, you pay more, and that’s fair."

At the next Public Works meeting, members will decide what recycling options to bid. A final decision on recycling will be made after the bids are in and the specific costs of various options can be examined.

letter from ma

If I were stranded on a desert island the thing I'd want most to have with me is a super-duper, king-sized, extra-large box of Kleenex® issues.

I say the invention of those soft, alternative handkerchiefs is the greatest of the century.

If you had allergies like mine, you'd think so, too.

I remember the days when a kid came to school sporting a humongous cold and a man's handkerchief pinned to his shirt pocket with a big safety pin.

That rag drooping from his chest was right there handy for wiping "secretions" from his upper lip.

Maybe that was better than the other oft-used technique--a swipe on the shirt sleeve.

Teachers and school health nurses must have shouted praises to God when mothers sent their children to school with small packs of those soft, absorbent nose wipes.

Now, hankies do have their places.

Louis Armstrong, who used a huge, sparkling white handkerchief to wipe his sweat-drenched face when he sang, would have looked silly dabbing his forehead with a little old Kleenex® tissue.

And one of those substitute handkerchiefs peeping out of the breast pocket of a man's suit does seem tacky.

For that matter, pinning a thin square of downy paper to the shirt of a kid with a bad cold is ridiculous, isn't it?

I have just one concern about my beloved allergy aid.

Please, God, don't let them recycle Kleenex® tissues.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

Ever’time the recyclin’ recycles I have ta wonder ‘bout the benefits of any of the plans. Now my uncle, he lives a recyclin’ life-style. He built his house from old lumber, drives a used car with recapped tires, reads his neighbor’s newspaper, and is happily married to this third wife.

He frequents auctions and saves hundreds of boxes of junk from bein’ hauled to the dump and sells it to the tourists in the flea market one piece at a time.

He used ta buy a soda at the fillin’ station and leave the empty bottle in the rack, now he’s told ta put it in the trash. He used ta save his milk bottles and exchange ‘em with the dairy, now it’s all plastic. He likes chewin’ gum after its left on the bed post overnight. He may be the originator of the sayin’ about another man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click and Clack Talk Cars

Dear Tom and Ray:

My wife and I have a 1992 Nissan Sentra with 84,000 miles on it. My wife is kind of stingy with our expenses and attends a lot of garage sales on Saturday mornings. Typically she wakes up about 6 in the morning and drives about 40 miles total, stopping at about 25 sales around town. She does find a lot of good bargains, but I wonder if the short drives and frequent starts and stops are wearing the car down. I really cannot ask her to stop going to these sales, since she is addicted to them and she also met me at a garage sale. Please advise. - Roger

RAY: Well, let's hope she's not out shopping for her next husband at these garage sales, Roger!

TOM: We'll assume that's not the case. I think this is one of those times when we have to be marriage counselors instead of car advisors. The answer is, yes, she is putting some extra wear and tear on the starter motor and the brakes by making all of those short trips. But so what? It's only once a week. And besides, that's what the car is for.

RAY: This is one of these cases where you just have to say, "What's a little wear and tear on a car in exchange for sharing my life with this wonderful person?"

TOM: Besides, you're probably making the car-repair money back twice over with all of those bargains she picks up at the sales. I mean, how much would you have paid for that 1956 Flab-O-Matic exerciser if you had to buy it new at full retail?

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