Eyeglasses & more plastic
now taken at recycling center
from The
Morgan Messenger, June 24, 2009
The Morgan County Solid Waste Authority has expanded recycling opportunities at the Charles R. Biggs Recycling Center on U.S. 522.
Recycling coordinator Bill Pechumer said an agreement with a new consolidator allows them the ability to recycle a greater variety of plastic items.
“We continue to accept narrow neck plastic #1 and #2 in clear plastic bags. All other plastic items stamped 3 through 7 will be accepted in black plastic bags,” said Pechumer. “The black bags may also contain clear food bins marked 1 or 2.”
The only restrictions are that all plastic must be free of any residue. No automotive product containers or bottles are accepted. No bottle caps are accepted unless they have the recycle symbol and a number 1 through 7 on them.
In addition to now accepting more plastic items, the Solid Waste Authority will now facilitate the recycling of eye glasses at the center.
“The authority is pleased to have entered into a cooperative arrangement with the Berkeley Springs Lions Club. The Lions Club will place a box for the collection of eye glasses at the Recycling Center,” said Bennett Lentczner, Solid Waste Authority chairman.
All glasses collected will go into the Lions Club Sight Program. This worldwide program ships large quantities of prepared glasses to humanitarian distribution teams and supplies Lions permanent clinics with an inventory of prepared glasses.
For more information, call the county’s recycling program, call 304-258-8718. |
Community
Volunteer Day Honoree
Robert (Bert) Lustig
Morgan County Solid Waster
Authority
The
Morgan County Solid
Waste Authority
wishes to honor Bert
Lustig as its Volunteer
of the Year for 2009.
He has been an active
participant in the work
of the Authority in all
its recyclingand solid
waste management efforts
for many years.
He
came to Morgan County
in 1974 and was an early
member of the authority
during
its formative years.
He has Ph.D degree
in organic chemistry
from the University of
Maryland and he attended
Muhlenberg College graduating
with a BS in Chemistry
im 1968. This background
has given him the ability
to look at the solid
waste concerns from a
scientific point of view.
Starting
in 1989 he was active
studying and monitoring
the Detour
Road Landfill, considering
whether the county shoudl
become involved with
a transfer station (no)
and help implementand
activly participated
in the traveling recycling
efforts. In the year
2000 he came back to
the Morgan County Solid
Waste Authority and helped
review the Potting Soil
Application and in the
design effort of the
new recycling center.
In
addition to all this
he and his wife Pat own
and operate a book recycling
business, the Recycling
Works located at 21 North
Washington Street, thus
proving that his heart
is firmly on the side
of recycling. If that
was not enough, he also
serves on and was active
in the rural water study
committee. And finally,
he is an excellent woodworker
and cabinet maker.
The
Morgan County Solid Waste
Authority wishes to recognize
Bert Lustig for his long
years of work to preserve
and protect the environment
of Morgan County.
In a March 18, 2009 e-mail response from Bill Pechumer, Morgan County Recycling Coordinator to Clint Hogbin, Chairman of Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority...
Hi Roger,
In response to your challenge, here's what Morgan County is doing.
December 15, 2008 we opened the Charles R. Biggs Recycling Center. Charles did an immense amount of due diligence to find a property, worked to negotiate a contract, and then site work to prepare it. The Ecology Coalition of Morgan County worked to receive donations from businesses and individuals for fencing, site grading, a shed, and a concrete block trailer wall. Our websitewww.morgancountyrecycles.org displays pictures of the center.
We are open Monday, Friday and Saturday six hours per day with recycling in Paw Paw using the truck and recycle trailer.
Before the center [opened -ed], we traveled to six sites monthly in the county and averaged 463 vehicles per month. As a result of the center now open, the monthly count is now 990. Last year [our -ed] recycled volume was about 600 tons and will be much greater with the center.
Many first time recyclers are now using the center and ask questions about the program. We have hired a second person and use community service persons to monitor and assist in some cases recycling from vehicles. As a result of the center, county offices are now recycling. Businesses are getting more involved.
Our intent is to offer more services each year.
Bill Pechumer, Recycling Coordinator
During the month of January 2009, the Charles R. Biggs Recycling Center increased the number of vehicles bringing recyclable materials to be recycled in Morgan County by 113% over last January, with many first-time recyclers. In our first two months of operation, the center has collected about 30 tons of paper and cardboard. 