OCTOBER 12, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7
Recycling reset still
faces local challenges
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
If you’re wondering wheth-
er that plastic container you
have can be recycled under the
new recycling rules in Marion
County, here’s a pro tip from
Reed Carlson, recycling co-
ordinator for the Mid-Valley
Garbage Recycling Associa-
tion:
“Turn it in your hand so
that you are looking at the
opening of the container, if the
opening is smaller than the rest
of the container, it can prob-
ably be recycled,” Carlson said.
Colored plastics that meet that
condition are also fi ne.
Recycling changes were
the topic of the night during
a Community Conversation
hosted by the Keizer Cham-
ber of Commerce on Wednes-
day, Sept. 26. Earlier this year,
the area’s garbage haulers had
to hit a reset button on what
could be recycled because of
changes on the international
level.
China, which had long been
the largest buyer of American
recycled goods, raised the stan-
dard for the level of contami-
nation it was willing to accept.
Local recycling facilities strug-
gle to meet the new levels of
acceptable contamination and
it led to changes in what is ac-
cepted at curbside bins.
Recently, area haulers have
begun charging for non-recy-
clable goods still showing up
in blue bins.
Here are the biggest chang-
es:
• Only empty, clean and dry
bottles and jugs larger than 12
ounces should be placed in the
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recycle bin.
• Steel and aluminum cans
can still be recycled.
• No tubs (think peanut
butter, spreadable
butter,
pasta sauce or mayonnaise) or
clamshells – even if they have
the recycling symbol on them.
• No fi lm plastics such as
plastic bags or cling wrap.
• No cold storage boxes
from frozen meals.
• No foil, aerosol cans or
scrap metal.
• No shredded paper.
After decades of trying to
get more people to recycle,
and China’s history of giving
the West Coast an easy way
to offl oad recyclable materi-
als, reversing the tide is likely
going to require time and ef-
fort from all sectors, said Greg
Dittman, operations manager
for Valley Recycling and Dis-
posal.
“It’s a very complicated is-
sue because producers want
that little logo on their prod-
ucts and it makes us feel good.
It’s a matter of shifting percep-
tions of recycling,” Dittman
told the more than two dozen
attendees.
In that vein, it might re-
quire a return to mayonnaise
jars made of glass which are
easier to manage when they
re-enter the waste stream.
Such change will most likely
require consumers putting
pressure on companies to shift
“We need
to fi nd our
best selves
to solve this
problem.”
— Greg Dittman
Valley Recycling
their practices.
“Keep the end market in
mind and what happens when
[garbage and recycling] gets
to its destination. We need to
fi nd our best selves to solve
this problem,” Dittman said.
Keizer Florist spreads good will with free fl owers
On Thursday, Oct. 24, Keizer Flo-
rist will be participating in the Society
of American Florists “Petal it Forward”
movement.
The effort is intended to show more
people the positive impact that fl owers
have in spreading happiness, and as a way
to bring something positive to the com-
munity.
The store, located at 631 Chemawa
Road N.E., will be handing out free two-
fl ower bouquets, one to keep and one to
share with someone you know or some-
one you don’t.
Volunteers are also needed to and fl ow-
ers out on the day of the event, contact
the store at 503-930-9035 to help out.
Fire district seeks levy
renewal on Nov. ballot
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Keizer Fire responded to
a record 5,419 Emergency
Medical Services last year,
which would not have been
possible if not for a levy passed
fi ve years ago.
On the November ballot,
Keizer residents will have the
opportunity to renew that
levy, for another fi ve years, at
the current rate—59 cents per
$1,000 of assessed value.
The Keizer Fire District
Board of Directors voted
unanimously in July to seek
voter approval of the funding
measure, which would pro-
vide staffi ng to respond to fi re
and medical emergencies and
pay for the costs of the dis-
trict’s 911 dispatch services.
KFD’s call volume has in-
creased 45 percent since 2012,
including 15.7 percent last
year. The district responded to
Change hurt
HOPE
into
Interested in
learning more about
Liberty House?
We host tours every fi rst Tuesday of the
month or by appointment. The tour is an
up-close look at our child-friendly facility
with an opportunity to hear about our work
with children and families. Learn more
about the issue of child abuse, how to
be protective of children, and how
Liberty House helps children and
families to be healthy and safe.
Join us for
Tours on Tuesdays
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
RSVP to Adrienne Christian
503.540.0288
achristian@LibertyHouseCenter.org
385 Taylor Street NE, Bldg 1
(Just south of Keizer)
93 percent of the calls within
six minutes.
Oregon law requires levies
to be renewed every fi ve years.
The levy is not a request for
new funds.
The fi re district’s perma-
nent tax rate is $1.3526 per
$1,000 of assessed property
value, which the board has
determined is insuffi cient to
maintain the present level of
service for the next fi ve years.
To fund operations, the dis-
trict required the levy funding
to meet emergency response
needs in the community.
If the levy is approved,
Keizer Fire District would
continue to have a lower rate
for fi re and EMS than the City
of Salem or Marion County
Fire District.
KFD, which is served by 20
volunteer and 35.5 career per-
sonnel, has provided ambu-
lance services since the 1990s.