By Staff Reports
The Patrick County Transfer Station began accepting recyclables again on June 17, following the Board of Supervisors’ decision to temporarily suspend the recycling effort by the county’s maintenance and transfer station due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Ron Knight, manager of the station, said that the amount of people that have begun to bring their recycling items since reopening has been “almost like normal,” adding that most people have told him they have more waiting at home.
He said since the station temporarily stopped accepting recyclables, many people simply held onto their items instead of disposing of them by other means.
Knight said the amount of recyclables the transfer station receives “varies so much” that it is hard to give an exact estimate on the volume. He said all of the recyclable materials are stored in totes, which are then placed in a trailer. Typically, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks to fill a trailer with totes, he added.
Hardin Reynolds Memorial and Blue Ridge elementary schools as well as the Fairystone Volunteer Fire Department pick-up recyclables on the first and third weekends of the month. C&J signs, Meadows of Dan Elementary School, and Moorefield Store Volunteer Fire Department pick up on the second and fourth weekend of the month.
Recyclable items include: cardboard, 1 & 2 plastics, newspapers, magazines, used motor oil, antifreeze, aluminum can, and scrap metal.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “recycling can benefit your community, the economy, and the environment.”
According to data from the EPA, reports show that recycling conserves energy and natural resources. The EPA says:
*Recycling one ton of office paper can save the energy equivalent of consuming 322 gallons of gasoline.
*Recycling just one ton of aluminum cans conserves more than 152 million British Thermal Units (used to measure thermal (heat) energy. It is the amount of energy needed to raise one pound of water 1°F at sea level.)
*Plastic bottles are the most recycled plastic product in the United States as of 2015, according to the most recent report. Recycling just ten plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours.