THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 23, 1994 TAG: 9411190195
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBBIE MESSINA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Magazines, catalogs, glossy paper and cardboard can now be recycled along with newspapers at 78 of the city's public schools.
New containers have been placed at all the schools (except College Park and Holland elementaries) with slots marked for the each paper product.
The slots, however, are more narrow for safety reasons so paper must be bundled smaller. The smaller slots were designed to prevent people from climbing inside.
Whereas only newspapers used to be recycled at the school sites, residents can now recycle magazines, mail order catalogs, slick advertisements contained in newspapers, coupons and flattened corrugated cardboard boxes. Cereal boxes, beverage boxes and shoe boxes do not qualify as cardboard boxes.
``Newspapers and everything that comes in them may be recycled in the same container,'' said Debra C. Devine, city recycling coordinator.
Additionally, school generated paper can also be recycled using the new containers.
The revamped recycling program is jointly sponsored by the city and the public schools.
The new materials can be recycled now because of the recent opening of two de-inking facilities in Virginia. Paper recycling requires that all inks be removed from the paper before recycling. Prior to the opening of the state's de-inking facilities, paper generated here was transported to Atlanta, which was more costly.
Still, there is a cost involved. Because of the depressed recycled paper market, the city and the school system must pay Tidewater Fibre Inc. $24.99 a ton to take the paper. The price includes the cost of the containers.
``Right now, this is a very reasonable cost,'' Devine said. ``I see the cost of the program going down with the amortization of the containers.''
Devine quickly added that recycling still presents a cost savings. To dispose of the papers in the traditional way - putting them in the landfill - costs the city $42 a ton to transport and another $34 a ton to dump them in the landfill, she said.
Under the old newspaper recycling contract, the city and schools were paid $3 per ton. But the market conditions were different when that contract was negotiated five years ago.
The city is making up the difference by contracting for general waste hauling separate from recycling, which has resulted in more than enough savings to pay for the recycling program.
A variety of products will be made with the collected papers.
The newspapers and magazines will be re-manufactured into newspapers. The glossy papers will make hand towels, toilet paper and chip board. The school generated papers will be made into other bond, office or tissue papers. The corrugated cardboard boxes will be recycled into paper grocery bags and new cardboard boxes.
Devine urges citizens to look for these products with the recycling symbol or the words ``post-consumer content'' on them when making purchasing decisions.
Since the city's newspaper recycling program began in 1988, 22,237 tons of newspaper have been recycled, representing a savings of $674,000 in avoided disposal charges. MEMO: For information on recycling programs, call the Division of Waste
Management at 430-2450, No. 6 on the main menu. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
Jenna Ingellis, left to right, John Borhcert and D.J. Anderson toss
newspapers into the recycling bin at their school, Red Mill
Elementary.
by CNB