Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 7, 1994 TAG: 9411120050
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHYRN MCCUE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Clean Valley Council, a non-profit local group, gave its annual award of excellence to Precision Fabrics Group of Vinton. The company, which makes nylon fabric for typewriter ribbons, parachutes, sleeping bags and many other products, recycled a total of 2,148,700 pounds of yarn, paper, aluminum, cardboard, glass and metal last year. One way Precision Fabrics keeps garbage out of the landfill is by making sure its vendors take back wooden pallets to reuse.
Roanoke City schools got an award for recycling 3.2 tons of trash every week, and mulching or composting yard waste. Virginia Western Community College received an award for sponsoring a composting demonstration site, which is open to the public.
Ellen Aiken, former director of the council, was recognized for her work in bringing 40 local companies into a Business Recycling Network and for her leadership in litter prevention throughout the valley. And the Delaney Court Neighborhood Club received a "CleanUp Award" for its voluntary efforts to keep their corner of the valley litter-free. The club has grown from an individual effort three years ago to 33 volunteers.
Urban sprawl alternatives
The Blue Ridge Environmental Network will host a program, "A Pattern for Living," at its next meeting scheduled for Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation will present a video that examines urban sprawl and its alternatives. The program will be held in the Roanoke Valley Science Museum, fifth floor.
Much mulch, and it's free
The Roanoke Valley Resource Authority and the city of Roanoke are offering free mulch - ground-up leaves, brush and other yard waste - to anyone who wants to come get it. The mulch is helpful in protecting gardens and plants from winter damage, and for adding to compost piles.
The resource authority has mulch available at its transfer station, 1020 Hollins Road, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The only requirement is to bring a cover for the mulch so it doesn't blow away on the trip home.
The city has mulch available at the city lot behind the Pizza Hut near the Civic Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 981-1588 for more information.
Also, curbside pickup for residents who bag their leaves began Oct. 31. For those who rake the leaves to the curb, vacuum collection will begin Nov. 14. Check the Neighbors section of this newspaper for when city crews will sweep through your neighborhood.
Slow the spread
The Jefferson National Forest is seeking your comments on its proposal to treat about 10,000 acres for the Gypsy moth, a voracious pest that attacks and kills hardwoods and moves an estimated 13 miles each year.
The forest is proposing to treat 2,615 of national land, 6,460 acres of non-federal land, and 1,680 acres in West Virginia next spring or early summer. The work would take place near Narrows, Cascades, Goldbond, and near Linside, W.Va.
The forest plans to use a mix of approaches, including no treatment, spraying with insecticides, and using pheromone flakes to disrupt moth mating cycles. This year, the forest, combined with state and other agencies, treated a total of 4,727 acres in Virginia.
Send comments by Nov. 14 to the Blacksburg District Ranger, 110 Southpark Drive, Blacksburg, Va., 24060, or call 552-4641 for more information.
Paper giant wins award
Westvaco Corp., which owns paper-making facility in Covington, received the 1994 Earth Effort Packaging Award from McDonald's Corp. and the Peresco Co., a buying arm of McDonald's.
Westvaco makes a bleached board that is made with up to 30 percent post-consumer recycled fiber - the only bleached board that meets federal requirements for direct food contact packaging. McDonald's uses the board for the "clam-shell" containers for some of its food.
Recycling proves rewarding, and other green news
The Green Scene, an environmental-news notes column, appears every other Monday in Extra. If you have ideas or items to add, please send them to Cathryn McCue at the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.
by CNB