For questions or suggestions:
Call RRR Coordinators at 747-8670:
NORM CAMPBELL

new statistics for city recycling

The figures for 2008 are in and our recycling program has again increased the amount of material we have recycled.

Last year we more than 1,400,000 pounds of paper products, metal cans and glass. This figure does not include all of the cars, appliances and different metals that were collected and processed at the Sawmill Cove Recycling Center.

As consumers we can feel good about the increase in recycling numbers but the real message is that we all really need to consume less! Thank you to all who participate and make this program work for our community.

Used Florescent tubes can now be safely recycled in Sitka! The Alaska Cruise Association donated a state-of -the-art machine capable of crushing florescent tubes and storing the Mercury contained in them for safe disposal. All florescent tubes contain some amount of Mercury which is dangerous to the human body. All lenths of florescent tubes can be recycled, however the compact florescents will not fit in our machine. If you have a burned out compact bulb place it in a heavy sealable plastic bag.Seal the bulb in the bag. Be careful not to break it, and place it gently in your garbage can.

There is a fee of 50 cents per bulb to help defray shipping costs. Businesses who have large numbers of bulbs should call 747-8670 to arrange for pick-up. Residents can drop off unbroken florescent tubes at the Katlian Street Recycling Center on Saturdays between 12 and one p.m. Please do not drop off bulbs at other times.

plastic recycling now at the city

RecycleSITKA has expanded our capability to recycle plastics in Sitka. In addition to #2 cloudy plastic (which is milk jugs and some gallon water containers) we now collect and recycle #2 colored plastic and all #1 plastics.

#1 Plastic: 2 liter soda bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars

#2 Plastic: Milk Jugs and Gallon Water Containers

You can identify #1 and #2 by the recycling triangle with the number of the plastic written inside the symbol, which is usually on the bottom of the container. There are three containers at the Katlian Street Recycling Center that hold each of the three different plastics.

To ready the plastics for recycling Please: 1) Rinse clean, 2) remove all lids or tops and 3) flatten the #2 cloudy milk jubs. It is not necessary to remove labels. If you cannot identify the number please discard the plastic to avoid contamination. No other numbers of plastic are currently recyclable in our program. It is important not to contaminate the good plastics with other numbers/kinds of plastics.

Since the beginning of Sitka's recycling program the amount of the recyclables collected has continued to grow as we capture more of Sitka's solid wastes.

Recycling Growth

If we compare two quarters, one early in the program and one recent we can see the growth in our program.

That's about a 46% increase between the two quarters!

Despite out steady improvement and great numbers, the program has a long way to go. We still need to collect a greater portion of the solid waste generated by all Sitkans. We can do better!!

Another note of interest concerns the fees for solid waste collection, The Sitka Assembly has granted a second reduction of fees for solid waste collection. Effective August 1, 2005 the rate for a 32 gallon can, will drop to $25.00. That's a savings of $17.00 a month or $200.00 a year over the standard 90 gallon sized can fee. We think this savings is a small reward to those Sitkans who take the time and effort to participate in recycling.

Several new or test programs are currently taking place in Sitka to improve the percentage of recyclables we collect. A trial curbside collection of recyclables is taking place at Coast Guard Housing on Japonski Island in conjunction with the Coast Guard Solid Waste program.
Several other programs will be starting in the near future to increase the amount of recyclables we are gathering.#2 Plastic recycling is continuing to increase and is going well.
Contamination of the bins is a continuing problem. Any waste placed in a container must be removed somewhere along the line, causing additional expense and inconvenience to our program.
Glass can be the biggest financial aid to our program. Every pound of glass recycled saves us 7 cents in shipping costs. In a typical month that translates into at least a $1,000 in shipping savings for the program! Get that glass out of the waste stream.
And remember that glass doesn't have to have the label removed. Please remove the top however, and rinse clean!

If you have any questions or suggestions for the recycling program please call us at 747-8670 (the Community Schools Office). We will find answers to your question and we welcome any ideas to make our recycling program more user friendly.

CURRENT MONTH

Glass	9.3 tons
Cardboard	9.6 tons
Newspaper	8.8 tons
Shredded paper	1.3 tons
Mixed paper	52.6 tons
Tin cans	.2.79 tons
Total	53.1 tons

Keet Gooshi Heen recycling containers moved

The containers located at Keet Gooshi Heen will remain at the school until the end of the school year (late May). They will be moved to the Katlian Street Recycling Center. Until then Glass, Mixed Paper, and Cardboard can be recycled at KGH.