PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Waste Prevention Program staff will be on hand today (Thursday, March 12) at two Port Angeles recycling centers to assist community members in understanding what and how to recycle.
They will be at the Regional Transfer Station, 3501 W. 18th St., from 10 a.m. to noon and Blue Mountain Transfer Station, 1469 Blue Mountain Road, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to tell residents what is accepted in transfer station recycling drop boxes and curbside collection bins.
Both transfer stations offer drop boxes for the following materials: corrugated cardboard, mixed paper (such as cereal boxes and newspaper), plastic and metal containers (bottles, cans, jugs and tubs only) and glass. These materials are collected and transported to other facilities that bale or crush the materials for further use as “raw” materials.
Incorrect recycling becomes garbage and can contaminate other materials in a load, said Meggan Uecker, Utility Program Manager for the Clallam County Waste Prevention Program.
This problem impacts the overall cost of this service or could result in reductions in recycling service availability, she said.
Plastic bags are the biggest problem, Uecker noted; recycling participants should put recycling into bins loosely and take bags home with them for disposal.
“Local mills on the Olympic Peninsula depend on these recycled waste streams for feedstock such as corrugated cardboard for production,” Uecker said in a press release last week.
“However, not all materials have value when placed in the blue bin or drop boxes. Items like plastic bags or bubble wrap can be recycled at special collection sites, but when in doubt about an item find out more or throw it in the trash to keep recycling streams valuable for regional producers and available in Clallam County.”
For information, contact Uecker at muecker@co.clallam.wa.us or 360-417-2441, or visit www.clallam.net.
