TOLEDO -- Most of us, by now, recycle either at the curb or at drop-off locations. And then we probably don't give a second thought to what happens next.
If you live around the Toledo area, the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District plays a big part in handling your recyclables. At the district facility, they come in by the truckload. Plastic, paper, bottles, and cans. Some 100 to 120 tons a week. This all has to be sorted since it is single streamed. In other words, everything gets mixed together. Ten thousand Toledo households are a part of this pilot program. Those in the recycling business say this is the latest trend due mainly to cost savings.
Once sorted, the newspapers head to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where they're turned into cereal boxes. The plastics, meantime, will head to China of all places. And the metals stay local.
Recycling has taken a hit just as the economy did, especially late last year. In fact there's about a 50% loss in the end market. In other words, what the recyclables' return is. However, there's hope in a turnaround, not only for the industry but for the community as well.
It's estimated about 5% of what you recycle actually ends up in the landfill. To stop this, you as a consumer need to get involved and find out from your city or municipality what should and shouldn't be recycled. Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful is another great start. This agency has a pamphlet of just about everything you need to know about recycling. You can log onto www.ktlcb.org to find the information or call 419-213-2255 for more information.
You can also go to www.recyclebank.com if you have to find out how your recyclables can end up giving you redeemable points at different retail stores. You can also call 1-888-727-2978.
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