Sunday, August 10, 2008
Editorial: Recycling isn't easy in most of the NRV
Only Blacksburg offers curbside pickup.
From the RoundTable blog
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When it comes to recycling in the New River Valley, there's Blacksburg and there's everyplace else. Blacksburg makes it easy; Christiansburg and Radford, especially, need to catch up.
Blacksburg residents have had curbside recycling for years. They gather their cans, bottles and plastics, and the town takes them away. As of last week, they could put out mixed paper, too.
Skeptics might question other environmental causes, but it has been years since anyone seriously doubted the value of recycling. Putting plastics, glass and paper to use again beats throwing them into a landfill.
Yet some communities with enough density to send the garbage truck to the curb refuse to pick up recyclables. They provide drop-off points, which are something, at least, but not enough.
Too few people are willing to gather their recyclables, load them into the car, drive to the drop off and spend a few minutes tossing stuff into bins. It's hard to blame them. The whole process is inconvenient, especially during hot summers and cold winters. Their recyclables wind up in the trash instead of where they belong.
According to state Department of Environmental Quality data for 2006, the most recent year available, the New River Valley is not holding its own with the rest of the commonwealth when it comes to recycling.
The Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority, which covers the entire county including the two towns, reported a 27 percent recycling rate. The New River Resources Authority, which includes Radford and Pulaski and Giles counties, recycled 26 percent of its waste.
The statewide rate was 38 percent. Even worse, while Virginians as a whole increased their recycling over 2005, in the New River Valley, the rates fell.
Localities typically cite expense as the reason they do not offer curbside recycling. Christiansburg and Radford residents would, indeed, have to pay more for the convenience. Sometimes doing the right thing for the planet requires a little sacrifice. Both communities are overdue for a fresh discussion about the best way to encourage their citizens to recycle.
