Recycling has become increasingly popular in Columbus, as the city, residents and organizations have stepped up their efforts.
A recent example of successful recycling was the seventh annual Community-Wide Recycling Day hosted by Cummins on June 22. The event allowed residents to drop off recyclable waste for a 12-hour period at the parking lot of Columbus Engine Plant, located off Central Avenue near downtown.
Last year the Community-Wide Recycling Day drew 1,023 consumer drop-offs with 50 tons of material collected. Although this year’s event had fewer dropoffs — 989 by vehicle — the tonnage recycled increased by about 40 percent, to 70.5 tons. That’s a remarkable increase, and reflects motivation on the part of residents to keep as many items from ending up in the local landfill.
Some additional highlights from this year’s community recycling day are:
54,600 pounds (27.3 tons) of electronics, including batteries — far surpassing the 39,626 pounds of electronics waste recycled last year, and possibly due to Bartholomew County now charging $20 to recycle televisions and computer monitors
•29,260 pounds (14.63 tons) of tires
•16,500 pounds (8.25 tons) of bricks, blocks and other solid fill
•9,996 pounds (almost 5 tons) of used oil
•9,660 pounds (4.83 tons) of paints and other flammables
•8,053 pounds (about 4 tons) of metals
Kudos to Cummins for hosting the event — part of its company commitment to the environment, the roughly 200 company employees working in shifts to collect the waste and the many residents who took advantage of the opportunity to help the environment by recycling unwanted and hard-to-recycle items.
Those efforts help lengthen the life of the county’s landfill, contribute to reusable products, lessen the negative impact on the environment and make the community a bit cleaner. That’s appreciated.
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