The line to recycle items at the ninth annual Cummins Community-Wide Recycle Day grew lengthy as local residents waited patiently to drop off items at the Columbus Engine Plant, known as Plant 1.
While last year’s event attracted 1,113 vehicles bringing in a record number of items, organizers said Thursday’s event could be a new record.
However, it will be at least a week until exact figures are available as to how many people recycled items, and how much recyclable material was gathered.
Some who dropped off unwanted items, including Eric Hunt, return to the Cummins Recycle Day every year.
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“Every year, we try to drop something off, whether it’s dehumidifiers or old computers,” said Hunt, who brought in household chemicals and outdated electronics this year.
At mid-morning Thursday, volunteers were still managing to keep vehicles from blocking one lane of Central Avenue during the event.
They did it by splitting incoming traffic into two separate lanes outside the Columbus Engine Plant, according to zone leader and volunteer Josh Sinclair.
But when locals began arriving during their lunch hours, southbound cars and trucks were barely moving as they were lined up in the far right lane of Central all the way back to Seventh Street.
There was only one brief five minute period during the morning when there wasn’t a steady line leading back to Central Avenue, Sinclair said. Although barricades were moved in an effort to move traffic in and out at a faster pace, it did little to alleviate the growing congestion, he said.
Early publicity about the event likely led to a lot of conversations that reminded some new visitors that free recycling was available, said Cummins Inc. environmental consultant Kevin Vinson.
One was semi-retired Columbus resident Fred Beggs, who said he’s in the process of cleaning out the house he grew up in. Beggs brought in a truckload of items, including wire and electronic devices, from his late parents’ residence.
“I’m only getting started in cleaning it up,” Beggs said. “This is just a dent.”
While Beggs said he wishes the company would host a second recycle day in the fall, Cummins environmental supervisor David Wehrkamp said that would be an expensive proposition.
Besides allowing more than 200 employees time off to volunteer, it costs Cummins Inc. about $40,000 to bring in all the required recycling vendors to Columbus, Wehrkamp said.
“This is a great way for Cummins to give back to the community,” said first-time attendee Sonya Tickel, who brought in leftover paint and an obsolete printer.
More televisions were dropped off Thursday than any other item, Wehrkamp and Vinson said.
“I have two old TVs that both work, but they have become obsolete and I need to get rid of them,” said Lloyd Pratt of Columbus.
Another problem illustrating the need for recycling is that buying new electronics is usually cheaper than repairing broken devices, Wehrkamp said.
Besides electronics, other items that are most often recycled are large appliances, paint and paint cans and used car batteries.
For the first time this year, the Cummins volunteers accepted durable medical devices such as wheelchairs, transport chairs, walkers and crutches.
These items will be provided to the nonprofit Access-Ability organization, located within the Doug Otto United Way Center, Wehrkamp said. They will later be distributed to financially disadvantaged individuals who need them, he said.
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Organizers of the Cummins Community-Wide Recycle Day are advocates of what is called the "Waste Hierarchy," a set of priorities for the efficient use of resources.
There are three parts in the waste hierarchy:
- Avoidance, including action to reduce the amount of waste generated by households, industry and all levels of government.
- Resource recovery, including re-use, recycling, reprocessing and energy recovery that is consistent with the most efficient use of the recovered resources.
- Disposal, including management of all disposal options in the most environmentally-responsible manner.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Those who reside in Columbus and surrounding areas are urged to recycle on a regular basis at the Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center.
Located at 720 S. Mapleton St., the recycling center is open Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more details, including what is accepted for recycling, and what is not, call 812-376-2614 or go online at bcswmd.com.
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