Quality - It’s important!

Every now and then, somebody will ask why we choose to have the recycling center opened only during specific hours as opposed to a collection of compartmentalized dumpsters sitting in a parking lot somewhere.

My answer has always been simple: Garbage! But I will come back to this in a minute.

Recycling is a game of supply and demand. With more Americans becoming environmentally conscious, more people are taking the time to recycle. They are making the effort to do the right thing. But, with the increase of materials being recycled (supply) there needs to be more use (demand) for these materials.

Picture this if you will. You’re on a 5 lane highway and traffic is busy. You’re approaching a tunnel and all the sudden traffic comes to a halt. There is only one lane coming out of the tunnel. This is how I see recycling.  It’s a buyers market for recyclables. There are enough materials in the market for manufacturers to be fussy about what they are buying and what they are willing to pay.

Now, back to the garbage.

Last Saturday, my wife and I took a drive over to Traverse City to visit family. On the way back home, I decided to pull into the parking lot where Grand Traverse County has 3 very large dumpsters for recycling. I jumped out of my pick-up and looked inside.

Not to my surprise it was a mess.  Cardboard mixed in with the plastic. Plastic mixed in with the cardboard. A McDonald’s bag was also thrown in with the tin. A half-eaten cheeseburger as well.  Why? Because nobody was there to tell them a cheeseburger is not made of tin.

Why risk the chance the recyclable materials end up in a landfill because somebody doesn’t take the time to do it right. The bins are clearly marked, yet someone has to risk it for the others who have done it right.

Buyers of recyclable materials are very fussy about the quality of the materials they purchase. If it’s too dirty, they don’t want it. They will get it from another center that takes the time to do it right. And, that’s us.

Our center is staffed 100% by volunteers. These volunteers help make sure what comes in is rinsed clean and placed in the right location.

Another nice thing we can brag about? We operate on revenues received from donations and the sale of the materials we collect. We receive no tax subsidy. We keep it simple, yet remain effective.

OK, I am done. Thank you for helping make Otsego County a greener place to live.