Communities similar in size to Bonners Ferry who have successfully reduced their solid waste by 50 percent or more.

Garfield Washington (pop. 650) Smaller than Bonners Ferry but, despite its small size and its distance from local  recycling facilities  and regional markets, this town has been dedicated to providing solid waste services since 1975 and curbside services since 1990.  In 2000 the town of Garfied recaptured about 137 pounds per  person of recyclable material. They worked to store, bale, and transport these materials to a local recycler (in single or combined loads) year round, to insure that they are recycled into new products. They built a used oil Recycling Drop Off next to the towns recycling center, expanded their user education program by working more closely with the town's school in order to become more aware of their needs and dove-tailing with them the town's recycling capabilities. ( For example-the town used part of their Community Recycling Drop Off Grant to conduct two days of  of K-12 education events, contests, and lessons which were scheduled during the week of America recycles Day 2000. The town of Garfield expanded the school's recycling program by using grant money to implement #1 PET plastic recycling containers. The town accomplished their goal of keeping current recycling programs in tact while slowly adding other waste reduction/recycling programs, and continuing to assist the town residents in collecting yard trimmings to recycle at the County landfill and pilot their own organic waste management program. The town has a 50% recycling participation rate due to an aggressive education program implemented by the towns Mayor, the Town Council and the town employees. Participants have come to realize the importance off recycling and that participation saves them money due to lower waste disposal fees.

No other incorporated town or city in Whitman County has committed so much time energy and effort to recycle as the town of Garfield. This town is the only municipal entity in Whitman county, WA requiring and providing solid waste recycling curbside pick-up for its residents. The Town of Garfield Solid waste and recycling Program employs only 2 city sanitation workrs. The town clerk seves as PR representative and bookkeeper, while a city council member serves as grant liason with the County. These public servants are the local dedicated community members who work each year to keep the program operational and affordable for their neighbors. They also work to identify ways in which the business and K-12 school community can benefit from their recycling programs success: implementing 24 hour cardboard drop off in town for businesses  and assisting the school with paper, aluminum, plastic, and phonebook recycling.

The overall environmental benefits which the town of Garfield has accomplished in 2000 include:

1. Dispelling the rural myth that "It doesn't matter what we do with our garbage way out here, we'll just dump it or burn it like we've done for years.."
2. Encouraging residents and students to be responsible consumers and buy recycled in addition to participating in the town's recycling program.
3. Educating the students in the community about recycling, "Waste to resources", Buying recycled, recycling source separation, and  America Recycles Day.
4. Implementing PET plastic recycling in the K-12 school system.
5. Demonstrating combined community support ( Town/School/Business) for more recycling, and continuing to educate their community members!
6. Keeping used oil hazarous waste from being illegally dumped on rural roads or landfilled by establishing their used oil drop-off.
7. Keeping their community clean beautiful, and waste free.

The town of Garfield is a leader in rural waste management.
 
 

Belchertown Massachusetts(pop. 2,339) does not provide curbside collection services for either trash or recyclables. Residents who choose to participate are required to purchase a permit to use the towns Transfer Station and Recycling Center. The town has a pay-as-you-throw system for trash disposal and a per item fee for special items such as appliances and tires Source separated recyclables can be left at the Transfer Station. Materials collected include: mixed paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, milk-juice and drink cartons, steel and aluminum cans, aluminum trays and foil, and #1#2 and #3 plastic bottles. The town also provides chipping of brush at the Transfer Station and a composting area for leaves. 1996 waste reduction was 63%.

Leverette, Massachusetts  (pop. 1,965)  Recycling is mandatory. Residents bring their recyclables to a local drop-off station.  Among the materials accepted for recycling and composting are aluminum cans, steel cans, glass containers, mixed paper, paperboard, textiles, auto and button batteries, plastics, scrap metal, waste oil, tires, paint, egg crates, leaves and other yard debris. Leverette has an active swap shop called “Take it or Leave it,” where residents can leave and or take reusable items. Residents pay a flat fee for recycling and a per bag fee for trash pick- up. The town sells home composters and reports that almost everyone composts on their own. Leverette’s  total solid waste management budget has decreased as a result of its waste reduction programs. The total waste stream has also decreased.

Bowdoinham, Maine (pop 2,192) In 1996 Bowdoinham recovered 62% of its municipal solid waste. Recycling is voluntary but a volume-based fee is charged for waste disposal. Trash disposed at the landfill dropped by 50 percent in the first six months after introducing the volume based fees in 1989. Bowdoinham introduced municipally contracted curbside recycling and trash collection in1994. Material for recycling is also collected at the town’s drop off center. Materials accepted include food discards, newspaper, cardboard, magazines, glass, aluminum, and ferrous cans, all plastic resins. An area of the recycling center is also used to display reusable materials such as furniture, books and clothing, available free to residents. Leaves, grass clippings, wood waste, and brush are collected free of charge at the town landfill.

Chatham , New Jersey (pop 8,289) This town is larger than Bonners Ferry but has a base rate similar to ours for solid waste. Residents achieved a 65% recovery rate in 1996. Chatham charges a base rate of $75 per year, per household for solid waste and recycling services. The borough imposes an additional charge of $1.45 for a 30 gallon bag or $0.75 for a 15 gallon bag for trash collection. The charge per bag was a hard sell for town officials but the plan worked well. The Chatham recycling program accepts a wide range of materials including cereal boxes, paper juice and milk cartons, metal clothing hangers, aerosol cans, and mixed  paper. Leaves, brush and other yard debris are diverted through composting and account for 66% of the material Chatham residents divert.

Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (pop 10,000 in the winter, 50,000 in the summer) Nantucket has an integrated solid waste disposal system that is run by a private company in Rhode Island. This company is in charge of landfill cleanup, recycling and composting. Particularly interesting is their Take It or Leave It exchange. Residents can drop off or pick up used clothing, shoes, china, appliances and other goods. Unclaimed items are picked up at a certain time each day and sent to the proper place for recycling-a hard to manage waste trailer accepts such bulky items as mattresses, box springs and rugs, and sofas. These are shipped to a merchant in Hyannis who removes the cotton and wood and other components to be recycled and reused. New Englanders have enjoyed recycling for years-they are Yankees and conservative by nature. Residents bring their recyclables in paper bags and go from window to window as they deposit different things like cans, cardboard, plastics. The dump has become a place where folks meet and have fun. Nantucket has reduced their solid waste by 86%!
 
 

This is the tip of the iceberg ! We will post follow-up information on these towns and list many others.
 

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