www.roanoke.com

Have you noticed a lot of people talking about how good it is to recycle? They bring out facts like 1 ton of recycled aluminum will save the equivalent in energy of 2,350 gallons of gasoline. Recycling one glass bottle will save enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours. They have a long list of facts describing recycling cost saving measures.

But, the fact is only about 30 percent of Americans recycle. In Christiansburg, the percentage is about the same. We save about 30 percent of our recyclable materials. Many people say they would recycle more if they had the storage space, the proper container or if it were more convenient.

The topic of recycling was discussed at a recent Christiansburg Town Council meeting. Several citizens mentioned curbside recycling. They felt curbside recycling would increase the total amount of collected material.

At the meeting, everyone agreed curbside recycling would be good, but recycling can be an expensive proposition. It takes equipment and manpower.

With revenue down for local governments and the state facing a $3.2 billion shortfall, where would the money come from to fuel curbside recycling?

It could be more worthwhile if more than 30 percent of the Christiansburg population got involved in the recycling process.

Listed below are several ideas that have the potential to increase the recycling amount without a large increase in cost to the town.

• List recycling locations and curbside dates with the Christiansburg water bill. Include recycling goals for the year and what has already been collected.
• List recycling information with a map of collection locations on the new town Web site when it goes online. Include flyer-sized graphics.
• Arrange a one-year trial period of neighborhood curbside pick-up once a month. Pick-up would be done with a town truck and green carrier that the town is presently using for recycling. Pick-up date would be the same day each month, for example the third Thursday.
• Run monthly ads in The Roanoke Times concerning recycling locations and curbside pick-up dates. List amount collected and the goal for the year.
• Give families the opportunity to purchase recycling containers from the town to use for curbside recycling. This would be optional; people could use their own containers.

This would give the people of Christiansburg an opportunity to try curbside recycling without a tremendous cost to the town. If it proves successful, we all come out ahead.

Huppert is a former member of the Christiansburg Town Council.