Beachbummett

The blue recycle bags are here! You can get them free at the South Walton Annex and other locations. Here is an excellent synopsis from WZEP news.


New Recycling Program, Blue is Green


Now you can assist and think green by using blue. Walton County has a new Blue Recycling Bag Program that makes recycling more convenient and efficient. At home, you simply place recyclable items (cans, glass, plastic, paper and cardboard) inside a blue bag and place the bag out with your regular trash. It's that simple!

The term green is often used to acknowledge programs which are good for the environment such as lower emissions, alternative energy sources, saving energy by using new low wattage light bulbs and recycling. Walton County uses a program providing recycling trailers at most school sites and, with the help of inmate labor, pulls recyclable materials out when garbage is taken to the landfill. The landfill also has piles where white goods, metal, rubber, boards and yard waste, glass and other materials are separated. The county can then send the various materials off to be recycled and sometimes even make a small profit.

While curbside recycling programs have been used in some communities, many are now finding it is cost prohibitive to have to pick up three or four different containers and place the materials on a truck. While it might be the right thing to do, the cost to recycle is so high, the program is not feasible. Walton County's landfill separation program does work in a cost effective manner and the new blue bags will speed up the process, making it even more efficient.

Under the new blue bag program, recyclable items may be separated or combined in one bag. The only prerequisite is that paper items do not become wet. Wet paper is considered "contaminated" and is not recyclable. This means, if you put paper in the bag with other items, make sure the cans and bottles are drained and dry. While not a requirement, you can help even more by placing paper in one bag, glass in another and metal in still another. This will mean a little more space at home, but you will be helping to green up the environment.

Ken Little with the Walton County Public Information Office says you may soon pick up free blue recycling bags from your local courthouse and county offices, city halls, fire stations, and libraries. They will also be distributed through the schools in Walton County. Look for the displays whenever in any of these locations.

Don't want to wait or stop by, simply use the blue trash bags you can buy at many stores. While not all brands have colored bags, you can find some in blue and Little says these are acceptable. The idea is that blue bags will indicate "recyclables" at the landfill when trash is processed. Remember, no matter which garbage service picks up your household trash, it ends up at the landfill.

The blue recycling trailers will still be available at convenient locations around the county. For more information on recycling or on the locations of these trailers, go to www.co.walton.fl.us <http://www.co.walton.fl.us/> and click on the "Citizen Information and Services" and then on the "Recycling Information" links.

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Mango

Why didn't you rally for "Pink" bags?

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TreeFrog

So who picks up the blue bags? I haven't seen a separate recycle truck.

Or do they just toss them in the garbage truck with the rest of the stuff?

You'd think they'd just break open in there when they compress the garbage.

30A Skunkape

I put our bags on top of the trash cans. If you tie them and make them visible, I bet they are easy to segregate from the other trash.

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Smiling JOe

TreeFrog, I thought the same thing about the blue bags. BTW, they are collected by the regular garbage truck. They say that if the paper is wet, it is not recycable. I wonder what happens to the bags when the garbage truck compactor squishes all the bags into the trucks? Are the bags that durable?

I also wonder how many cheap people will be getting the free bags to use for their regular garbage.

Mango, if the bags were pink, the garbage men wouldn't pick them up. Merman is comfortable with his pink paddles now, but it took him a while, and he is fairly open minded. The garbage men would never touch the pink ones for fear of being ridiculed.

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Smiling JOe

I really don't understand the problem with recycling around here. They say it will cost more. However, I disagree. No matter how you slice it, they will be picking up the same amount of debris, weather it is recycle or garbage. In the last town where I lived, they did not have separate trucks for recycle vs garbage. They use one truck divided into three containers -- garbage, paper, and plastics. They were not slowed one bit by throwing the debris into the separate bins on the truck. In fact, I think they were faster than the guys collecting just my garbage. People sort their garbage and put the three bins curbside. It is fairly simple but I think Walton County is making it more difficult. Maybe it is the company with which they contract, Waste Management, who is making it difficult. I can guarantee you that sorting it on the trucks would lead to a tremendous recycling of the debris, compared to the status quo. I am glad to see something being done (blue bags) to help increase the amount of garbage we recycle, but we can do much better.

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goodwitch58

I don't think it is Waste Management; I lived in Tallahassee for years and we separated out our trash, recyable items, and garbage and it was picked up by the same people, and I am pretty sure the contractor was Waste Management. We had separate containers for paper, glass, and plastic, but it was picked up by the same folks.

When I moved here I could not believe there was not a similar program and I too think WalCo is making it much more difficult than it is.

Perhaps it has something to do with having something for the inmates to do...

TreeFrog

The city was happy to recycle, separate trucks and all, when I lived in Memphis. I'd bet the economics worked out in their favor - they can sell the recyclables to metals dealers and the like. Picking it up separately would deny the prisoners their job separating it, but so what.

It looks like you can get blue bags at Sundog Books, too. They had a sign there last night.

Call me obsessive, but I go to Publix 3 or 4 times a week and it's easy enough for me to keep using the trailer behind the store.

And don't forget, Publix (not WalCo) has the green bins out front where you can recycle plastic bags, grocery bags, and styrofoam containers (think to-go box for your restaurant leftovers).

iwishiwasthere

That is good to know for visitors as well.

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