APRIL 15, 2003
Smoke Signals 9
Grand Ronde Recycling Center Is Getting Too Much Garbage
Things could be worse, but John Mercier wants them to be better.
and an elk carcass are
among items that have
crossed Mercier's radar.
It got so bad in private
forests in the neighbor
hood that timber compa
nies put gates across
their roads, said
Mercier. Now, those who
used to enjoy a day in a
private forest choose the
Reservation forest land.
That puts a heavier load
on the Tribe.
"It's to a point now
where I want to take a
crew up (to bring out the
garbage) but there's no
telling what's in the gar
bage," said Mercier. "If
there are sharps (used
hypodermic needles po
tentially carrying disease), that becomes dangerous
and I don't want to subject a crew to that. In some
places, it's so extensive that you'd have to take a
backhoe up there and throw (the refuse) into the back
of a truck. And that gets to be expensive."
In short: bring used newspapers and magazines,
cans, aluminum, bottles and jars, cardboard, and
milk jugs to be recycled, but furniture, microwaves,
computers, tires, mattresses, and ornery children
(just kidding about the kids) go to the dump after
their use in your home is done.
"(Recycling is) a public service, free to the entire
public," said Mercier. "It's a service we're happy to
provide and continue to provide. But we certainly
don't want to see it abused with un-recyclables."
Mercier is in regular touch with City Sanitary
Recycling's senior Account representative Scott
Patterson, who says that the Grand Ronde recy
cling effort has been fine to this point. The
unrecyclable items left at the recycling station are
nothing that City Sanitary or the Tribe can't cur
rently handle, and nothing close to what they were
seeing in Dayton before that city's recycling center
was closed down a few years ago because of the
abuse.
v j .
,t '
: . i WXH
. ; 3.
: -a ?
Public Works Director John Mercier points out some of the garbage that has
made it into the recycling bins lately.
But Mercier is not waiting for things to get bad.
He is getting the word out now to keep things from
getting worse. A gentle reminder now is probably
not even needed by most who use the center, because
they use it responsibly, day in and day out, and al
ways will.
"It's that age old axiom," he said, "that a tiny mi
nority can ruin it for everybody if it goes unchecked.
Is it bad now? No. It's something that I don't want
to get worse. The public is great and very respect
ful. So, we'll nip it in the bud with this article for
our readers."
CENTER WILL CHANGE LOCATIONS
On an altogether different note, it is probably a
good time now to ready the community for a coming
change of location for the recycling center. Because
the Procurement Department has other uses for the
area where the recycling center now sits, and be
cause delivery trucks are now coming and going all
day, often blocking the path to the back of the build
ing, Mercier is researching better locations for the
operation. It won't happen tomorrow, said Mercier,
but down the line, the recycling center will go to
another location.
By Ron Karten
Q: When is a piece of garbage not recyclable?
Two months ago, Tribal member and Public Works
Director John Mercier spotted the first sign of trouble:
"the microwave and the chair." They were sitting
among the recycling bins and trailers set up by
McMinnville-based City Sanitary and Recycling Ser
vice. And just this month, others were spotted dump
ing "volumes of household garbage," said Mercier.
The recycling center sits behind the old Housing
Authority building on Grand Ronde Road, now home
to the Procurement Department.
Uncertain of the difference between recyclables
and garbage? See Sidebar 1 for a start. Happily,
new recycling discoveries are being made all the time.
Unfortunately, the most troublesome non-recyclables
remain both an expense and an effort to unload. They
often won't go into regular trash pick-ups. Some
times you can reuse them around the house or gar
den. But mostly, they have to go to the dump.
Bringing anything but pure recyclables to the
dump is going to cost you. At the Riverbend Land
fill on state highway 18 just inside of McMinnville,
the fee is $10 minimum for the first yard, and if
you've got more than a yard, it costs $8.57 per yard.
The average pickup holds two yards piled to a level
top, but more if you've got it heaped up. Used car
tires, which also have been showing up at the com
munity recycling center, cost $2 extra at the land
fill, $5 if they're still attached to the wheel.
Many specialty programs aim at recycling tires
and the like. Universities across the country have
ground up tires and added them to concrete in one
case, and to pistachio nut shells in another to effec
tively clean mercury emissions from coal fired power
plants. One web site suggested cutting off the
sidewalls of tires and using the rest as planters. And
there's the old faithful garden swings. A
McMinnville company, RB Rubber, takes ground
up tires and turns them into mats for horse stalls
and playgrounds.
But until all these items of garbage can be eco
nomically recycled into something useful, there re
mains the temptation on the part of a few to get rid
of these items without paying for the privilege. Some
have used various parts of the Reservation and local
private forests as their personal dumping grounds.
Mattresses, household garbage, an old car, a TV,
Recycling Reminders
B Aluminum
Beverage cans, foil, food trays, and tuna cans
are all recyclable in this category. Lids from
glass containers can also be recycled here. If a
magnet doesn't stick to it, it's aluminum! (If a
magnet does stick to it, recycle it with steel
cans.) Simply separate and place in your
curbside bin (contact your hauler if you need
a bin) or take to a depot.
B Appliances
Refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, etc. may
all be recycled at Riverbend Landfill or Newberg
Transfer Station. Applicable fees may apply.
D Batteries
Lead acid automobile batteries may be re
cycled at Riverbend Landfill or Newberg Trans
fer Station. Household batteries (alkaline, like
those in flashlights, etc.) can be recycled at a
household hazardous waste facility or, if they
are from a household, disposed of with your
garbage. Rechargeable batteries (nickel-cadmium)
are recyclable locally at Radio Shack
stores.
Cardboard & Brown Bags
Corrugated cardboard and brown bags can
be recycled curbside (contact your hauler) or
at depots.
D Computers
Computers and their components can be do
nated to local schools (contact the Yamhill Edu
cation Service District, 503-472-1431)
or recycled.
D Glass
Clear, brown, and green glass containers can
be recycled curbside with City Sanitary Service
and at depots with Newberg Garbage Service
(contact your hauler for details). The screw top
lids from these containers can be recycled with
tin (steel) cans or aluminum.
D Magazines & Catalogs
Magazines and catalogs can be recycled
curbside (contact your hauler) or at most de
pots. Your local library or senior center may
also have a need for magazines.
D Motor Oil
Motor oil can be recycled curbside with City
Sanitary Service and at depots with Newberg
Garbage Service (contact your hauler for de
tails). B Newsprint .
Newsprint can be recycled curbside (contact
your hauler) or at depots.
B Office Paper
Office paper recycling is available curbside for
all businesses - contact your hauler to sign up.
fl Phone Books
Phone books can be recycled curbside and at
some depots.
B Plastics
Plastic bottles, including milk jugs, can be re
cycled curbside (contact your hauler) or at de
pots. A "bottle" is defined as any screw-top con
tainer where the neck is smaller than the base.
This includes peanut butter jars, soda pop and
juice bottles, even bottles for non-toxic house
hold cleaners. Bottle must be empty and
rinsed, have the lid removed, and wi have
contained a poisonous substance.
Scrap Metal
Scrap metal can be recycled at Newberg
Transfer Station and Riverbend Landfill.
II Tin Cans
Tin or steel cans can be recycled curbside
(contact your hauler) or at depots. Lids from
glass containers can also be recycled here. To
test if an item is steel or aluminum, use a
magnet if it sticks, it's steel!
fl Tires
Tires can be recycled at Newberg Transfer
Station and Riverbend Landfill. Fees may apply-
D Wood Waste
Wood waste can be recycled at Newberg
Transfer Station and the SP Newsprint De
pot in Newberg.
D Yard Debris
Yard debris can be recycled at Newberg
Transfer Station and Yamhill Valley Material
Recovery Facility. Yard debris and other veg
etative kitchen waste can also be composted
in your backyard! Compost bin sales occur an
nually in Yamhill County. The Master Gar
deners at OSU Extension Service can also pro
vide information on composting. Call 503-434-7517.