401 W. PALM STREET (between S. SAM HOUSTON AVE. [HWY.75], PALM ST., WALNUT AVE., & SYCAMORE AVE)

MAGAZINES, CATALOGUES, & PHONEBOOKS: Keep separate from newspapers. Place in paper bags or cardboard boxes, NOT IN PLASTIC BAGS.

NOTE: cardboard boxes are also useful to collect your recyclable paper in.

1. It Feels Good!

This is our opportunity to actually do something about the environment. Environmental problems have become so complex that many individuals feel they can have no effect on them. Examples: Oil spills, acid rain, endangered species, depletion of rainforests and ozone layer, etc.

2. It Saves Natural Resources!

Americans will generate 218 million tons of waste by 2000, 152 million tons of that is expected to be disposed of in landfills and incinerators. This rate of use and disposal takes a particularly heavy toll on irreplaceable natural resources such as minerals and petroleum.

Every ton of recycled steel saves 2.25 tons of iron ore, 0.5 ton of coal and 40 pounds of limestone! Recycling often produces better products than those made of virgin materials. Tin

3. It Saves Energy!

About 3% of America’s energy is used for producing packaging alone. Recycling paper cuts energy usage in half! Every pound of steel recycled saves enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb for over 26 hours. Recycling a ton of glass saves the equivalent of nine gallons of fuel oil. Recycling used aluminum cans requires only about 5% of the energy required to produce aluminum from bauxite. Recycling just 1 can saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for 3.5 hours!

4. It Saves the Environment!

We can reduce the environmental damage caused by mining, logging and manufacturing raw materials. We can reduce the risks of air and water pollution from manufacturing processes. Recycling paper produces 75% less air pollution than milling it from raw materials. Substituting steel scrap for virgin ore reduces air emissions by 85% and water pollution by 76%.

We can also reduce pollution risks by keeping materials out of disposal facilities. No matter how strong environmental standards may be, there is always some risk associated with waste disposal.

The EPA states that all landfills will leak and contaminate groundwater eventually.

Plastic landfill liners and pipes allow chemicals and gases to pass through their membranes in 2 weeks; and can become brittle, swell, and breakdown within 2 years!

Federal government allows household and industrial hazardous waste into municipal landfills; therefore, leachate from municipal and hazardous waste landfills can have the same toxicity. Landfills emit hazardous substances into the air and water!

5. It Saves Disposal Costs and Capacity!

The combination of landfill closings, the increasing demand for disposal sites, and the need to haul wastes to disposal sites farther away from the point of origin are leading to increased disposal costs. In 1993 the average landfill tipping fee was $46/ton. I believe Huntsville is paying about $60/ton. The city of San Francisco is currently paying $150/ton. Translation, increased city garbage bills!

Many cities in the US recycle as much as 50-60% of their municipal waste. Some estimates indicate that as much as 80% could be recycled!

Many cities give recyclers a break on their garbage bill by charging less for less garbage and not charging anything for recyclables that are sorted and put out for curbside pick up! In Seattle, the city give the customers a rebate whenever the city "turns an actual profit" on the recyclable goods they have picked up and are selling to the recycling industry. Seattle also saves money on trash pick up by insisting that every able bodied citizen carry their own trash to the curb.

6. It is Good Business!

Manufacturers who produce consumer goods and packaging with recycled content are able to reduce their needs for raw materials and energy. They need less equipment, and require fewer power plants, refineries and processing plants. They rely less on foreign imports such as petroleum. By reducing pollution risks, manufacturers reduce the need for pollution controls. Recycling can save money for manufacturers and their customers.

We are a diverse group of citizens concerned about the environment we live in, the same environment in which our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will live.

Nancy Goodwin is our "catalyst". After spending a few weeks in North Carolina and recycling most of what we put into the garbage here, she decided it was time to the recycling ball rolling again in Huntsville.

She began by visiting with Cindy Blalock (Huntsville Solid Waste Superintendent). Encouragement has come from Judge Wagamon, Mike Werner (SHSU recycling), and the City Council seems to be coming around.