County receives $23K recycling grant

    According to landfill supervisor Bill Andrews, Phillips County residents have been “using the heck out of” the corrugated cardboard recycling trailers. And he hopes they keep doing it, too.
    Already, there were a couple dozen such trailers around Holyoke and Haxtun for easy cardboard recycling, but thanks to a $23,447.52 grant from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, six more have been added to the County’s fleet.
    But that’s not all. The grant also meant the landfill could purchase three new roll-off boxes for plastic recycling — and it’s going to go a step above the previously available plastic recycling options in Holyoke.
    Now with both a City and a County option for recycling plastics, Holyoke residents should be careful to remember the difference. The old blue bin located behind the City office accepts only plastics No. 1 and No. 2.
    The new County bin in Holyoke is red and is located at the corner of Interocean Avenue and Bignel Street. It accepts plastics Nos. 1-7, with some exceptions. Most No. 6 items are foam, which cannot be deposited there. Plastic bags are also not allowed, and lids such as those on pop or water bottles should be removed and put in the trash instead.
    The other new roll-off boxes have been placed in Haxtun and at Ballyneal. Each of the three locations also has a new cardboard trailer as well. Other new cardboard trailers have been added to Ampride, Haxtun School and Smith Hardware.
    All of the new and the old cardboard trailers are meant for corrugated cardboard only. In other words, things like cereal boxes or tissue boxes cannot be recycled there. Residents should also remember to check things like TV boxes for foam or plastic packaging that may still need to be taken out before the box is recycled.
    Andrews said that the people of Phillips County have generally been very good about recycling responsibly in the cardboard trailers. Yes, he does occasionally see trash or cardboard that’s not corrugated thrown in, but when people are asked to fix those problems, they typically do.
    The recent grant Andrews applied for is just one part of his ongoing efforts to recycle as much as possible, and it was supplemented by $3,567.96 by the County to get the new boxes and trailers ready.
    The trailers started as ordinary flatbeds, but using materials purchased in Holyoke, landfill employees built up the sides to meet their needs. They also had lettering added to the roll-off boxes to remind people what can and cannot be recycled.
    
Why recycle?
    Andrews is constantly looking for new ways to recycle. If he can find an outlet for material, he’ll take it.
    There are some state requirements for diversion, but the real driving force behind his efforts is a goal to make the current hole out at the landfill last as long as possible. Phillips County already has a good diversion rate — way ahead of similar counties — but for Andrews, it’s not good enough. Sure, the County will have to shell out for a new hole eventually, but the cost will be “tremendous,” and the longer they can put it off, the better.
    In addition to the typical plastic and cardboard recycling, Andrews diverts plenty of other materials, including metal, wood and ag bags, and he continues looking for outlets for different materials, such as books and glass.
    He hopes to see all the new trailers and roll-off boxes get plenty of use in the Phillips County communities and encourages residents to do their part in extending the life of the “hole.”