Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 27, 1993 TAG: 9312020268
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
But until about two months ago, even white goods that made it to the landfill were buried along with the rest of the trash, not recycled as scrap metal. ``We kind of overlooked that,'' Myers concedes.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations that took effect in August helped inspire a change. The new EPA rules require refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and other appliances with freon to be free of the gas before final disposal.
``At that point, people could no longer ignore the problem,'' he said.
Montgomery County's landfill now has equipment to remove the ozone layer-depleting gas so the junked appliances can be recycled as scrap metal along with the old stoves, washers and dryers.
Since August, the landfill has gotten more than 100 appliances a month that contain freon,``right on target with what we expected,'' said Myers.
He said it is still too early to tell if the program is having any effect on illegal dump sites, but said it's cut back on the amount of metal being buried in the landfill. More than 100,000 pounds of metal items, including white goods, have been recovered for scrap since the program began.
All white goods eventually are sold to scrap dealers in Bluefield, Va., and Roanoke. So far, the proceeds haven't covered the cost of handling, processing and transporting discarded white goods, and the landfill still charges the normal tipping fee, which amounts to about $5 or so for a typical large appliance in Montgomery County.
``It's our hope that we could [some day] offer this as a free service,'' Myers said.
There's a better market for the freon in discarded refrigerators and air conditioners. The chlorofluorocarbon products recovered are stored in a tank, and the manufacturer of the equipment that recaptures the gas has an arrangement to buy it back from the county, Myers said. The gas can be reprocessed and reused.
Since it will be illegal to manufacture most freon refrigerants after next year, the gas could become a valuable recyclable.
The New River Resource Authority's Ingles Mountain Landfill in Radford also has freon-recovery equipment, said the authority's program director, Fred Hilliard. To handle an appliance with freon, the landfill charges the normal tipping fee - again, about $5 for a typical refrigerator - plus a $5 surcharge to cover the Freon removal. Although any freon is recovered, refrigerators are not recycled at Ingles Mountain.
``Right now, we're just crushing them and putting them into the debris landfill,'' said Hilliard. The landfill hasn't found any scrap dealers willing to take refrigerators. which, he said, often contain a lot of ``fluff'' and plastic and not much metal. Other white goods are sold for scrap metal, he said.
How to get large appliances to a landfill depends on where you live. Montgomery County has no curbside trash pickup service, but Myers hopes that if people take the trouble to load a discarded stove or fridge on a truck, they'll keep driving until they get to the landfill.
The county's ``consolidated green box'' site off Prices Fork Road - about halfway between Prices Fork and the Virginia 114 intersection - now accepts old appliances, too. The site is now open every day from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. and is manned. ``We'll be doing extensive recycling at that site, in addition to trash dropoff,'' said Myers. The site also takes in old motor oil.
Residents should not drop off appliances at the county's other Prices Fork Road trash drop-off site, near the Virginia 114 intersection, he said.
WHITE GOODS RECYCLING INFORMATION
Montgomery County: Call Tim Myers, 382-6923. No pickup service is available. White goods may be dropped off at the Montgomery County Landfill or at the Consolidated Green Box site on Prices Fork Road. Fees: Tipping charge (about $5 for a refrigerator).
Blacksburg: Call Kathy Carmichael, 961-1142, for pickup. Fees: $20 plus the regular tipping charge.
Christiansburg: Call 382-6128 for pickup. Fees: $25 for a dump-truck load (one household only).
Radford: Call 731-3607 for pickup. Fees: $15, which includes tipping fee and Freon-removal surcharge.
Pulaski/Pulaski County: Call 980-7760 for pickup. Fees: No additional charge.
Dublin: Call 674-5791 for pickup. Fees: No additional charge.
by CNB