L ast year in Cuyahoga County, approximately 695,000 tons of residential waste was put out on street curbs and in Dumpsters for trash haulers to take away. That is enough to fill to capacity almost 10,000 tractor trailers.
Without recycling initiatives in place, all that refuse would end up in a landfill. Fortunately, many Greater Cleveland communities have embraced and encouraged residents to sort recyclable items from the trash and place them in separate bins so they can be collected and turned into new materials.
According to the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District, nearly 230,000 tons of materials were recycled by residents in 2012, one-third of the total refuse generated in the county. That means it will take longer for the county landfill to be filled to capacity with refuse, while more items that would have otherwise been thrown away are being reused in different capacities, all of which is great for the environment.
Residents deserve plenty of credit for taking the time to sort out items from the trash that can be recycled. Many area communities also deserve credit for making recycling easier for residents and placing a larger emphasis on recycling efforts.
Communities such as Bentleyville, Mayfield Village, Moreland Hills and South Euclid have provided larger recycling containers for their residents which encourage people to separate more recyclable items from the rest of the trash. In some cases, all the recyclables can be put in the same bin, instead of separating cardboard and paper from aluminum and plastics, which makes it easier for residents to engage in recycling.
Many communities have discovered cost benefits associated with recycling. In Shaker Heights, for example, the city reported earning $60,000 in revenue from recycling initiatives and saving $50 per ton of waste that was recycled instead of hauled to a landfill.
Two-thirds of the recycled materials in the county are organics - brush clippings and leaves that are raked from lawns and set out to the curb. Instead of taking up space in a landfill, these items are being turned into mulch that residents can use for their gardens.
Many communities have openly embraced recycling initiatives and work vigorously to educate their residents about the importance of recycling. For example, Moreland Hills has created a Green Commission of about 10 residents who are passionate about recycling and are looking to generate more enthusiasm among residents. Even though the village has a recycling rate of about 50 percent, well above the county average of 33 percent, the village and the commission are aiming for an even higher rate and will soon be making a push to promote more composting among residents.
The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District is also stepping up its efforts to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. It opened a Special Waste Convenience Center in 2011 in Garfield Heights to recycle household hazardous wastes collected by county communities. Last year alone, the center managed over 427,000 pounds of household hazardous waste - more than 210 tons. It has hosted several document shredding events and is beginning programs to recycle tools and small household appliances.
As impressive as these efforts are, they can be better, and we all need to do our part to recycle. It only takes a couple of minutes to sort out the recyclable and non-recyclable items from our weekly trash, and if we all take a more conscientious approach to recycling, we can create a lasting positive impact on the environment that future generations will appreciate.
That's what we think. Share your opinion on this editorial or other topics by sending a letter to the editor to rjablonski@sunnews.com, faxing your letter to 216-986-2340 or mailing it to Ray Jablonski, Sun News East Group editor, 5510 Cloverleaf Parkway, Cleveland, 44125. All letters must include the author's name, city and a daytime phone number for verification.
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