Sedona Recycles: 2013 recycling report

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Sedona Recycles 2013 recycling report

As we enter our 25th year of providing recycling in Sedona it is time to look back at the past year at the center and reflect. Every year Sedona Recycles tries to add new materials to what we can responsibly collect and we try to initiate new programs which set our community apart as a model for rural recycling in Arizona. In 2013 we dealt with the usual challenges, fluctuating material markets, equipment repairs and funding but at the same time we had great things happening which included receiving grants, strengthening partnerships and being able to serve all the wonderful people who come into the center and use our drop off sites everyday.

2013 saw Operation Green Fence an initiative out of China that changed the way every recycler dealt with plastics. We hit the ground running and did everything we could to adjust the way we sort plastics to be able to recover everything we possibly could. We met with material buyers and fine tuned our sorting process to maximize recovery and as a result have produced the best plastic bales the buyers have ever seen. We survived the crisis and actually thrived by adapting to change.

We began collecting some unusual things in partnership with TerraCycle this year which include Solo cups, chip bags, energy bar wrappers, and Britta water filters. These collections take place only at the recycling center on Shelby Dr. and they allow for the recycling of materials that we were never able to take in the past. We have enlarged our reuse area which we will continue to expand offering opportunities for the public to get moving boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, nursery pots, magazines, books and egg cartons. We will continue to add items to this reuse area as we always promote reduction and reuse first.

We continued our partnership with Westech Recyclers which is a certified electronics recycling company based in Phoenix. This company not only recycles electronics but refurbishes some of what they receive for donation to those in need. We also have an excellent battery recycling program with Battery Solutions in Mesa. This company truly recycles household batteries versus burying them in a Hazardous Waste landfill. We continued our partnership with Rainbow Acres in Camp Verde and Yes the ARC in Cottonwood. These two organizations provide our sorting line employees and as we always say we couldn’t do it without them.

Our Styrofoam recycling program continues to be a huge success and has kept many tons of this material out of the landfill. By recycling this material we have been able to send it out to be manufactured into crown molding, picture frames and CD cases. The processing of Styrofoam is one of many things that we do that is very labor intensive but is well worth the effort as this material takes up an estimated 25% of all landfill space. We continue to recycle approximately 48 tons of glass every month and while other companies don’t accept glass at all we continue to provide this service knowing that glass is infinitely recyclable.

We have been the recipient this year of a grant to cover half the price of battery recycling. This grant came from the Sedona Community Foundation. SCF has been a supporter of our programs for many years and we are very grateful. We also received a grant from the Walmart Foundation that allowed us to continue recycling in Cottonwood after funding for the program was discontinued. This provides for another year of free drop off recycling in Cottonwood and is something we would have had to discontinue without the support of the Walmart Foundation. These grants and public donations are critical to the continuation of many of the programs we offer. We have received numerous donations from the public this year and we can’t thank you enough for your generosity. We are part of your community and we want to be able to provide you with the very best recycling program possible.

In 2013 we recycled 3,700 tons of material and our goal is to do even more in 2014. With your help we will continue to provide opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle. We will work to expand our educational programs and empower the public to participate in recycling at its best. A special thank you to the City of Sedona for its support of what we do in the community. They are definitely invested in our success. Their forward thinking is the exception and not the rule and we are very proud of our partnership. We also want to thank Yavapai County and in particular Supervisor Chip Davis. Supervisor Davis was instrumental in bringing recycling to the Verde Valley and has continued to champion Sedona Recycles. His belief in what we do encourages us to be even better. Thank you to everyone who recycles with us. We can assure you that we are doing our very best to see that your materials receive a new life. With all of us working together 2014 will be a banner year for recycling in Sedona and the Verde Valley.