I would like to compliment the communities of Amesbury and Newburyport and their residents on their increased activity with recycling. Recent articles in The Daily News ("New recycling program sees success; Newburyport's recycling increases 15 percent" on Jan. 23 and "(Amesbury's) recycling program almost breaking even") on Feb. 1) highlight the fact that when environmentally friendly practices are made simple and easy, compliance among residents will increase.
I am very pleased to see my hometown and my current city catching up to the type of green practices that I witnessed in the 1980s while living in Europe, specifically Holland (the Netherlands). I've written in the past about my experience in Holland and how it helped shape my environmental beliefs. In Holland, recycling was mandatory, yet easy. Everyone complied with the rules — not only because it was the law and it made sense to recycle, but also because it was simple.
In Holland, trash containers were supplied by the city. The containers were made of strong green plastic with large wheels to reduce the struggle of carting them to the curb. They came in different sizes, distributed based on the size of the family. Being a young couple with no children yet (although one was on the way), we received a medium-size trash container. Very large families had more than one.
The key to the recycling effort could be found inside the container: a divider that moved side to side to accommodate the type, and amount, of trash generated by each particular household. Garbage that could be spread in a landfill for composting went on one side of the container. We put things like potato peels, dead flowers and table scraps on that side. The other side was for any material that could be recycled, like plastic, metals, wood, paper, cardboard and glass. We didn't have to separate the recyclables; we would simply dump everything in on that side.
The trash trucks were painted green on one side where the recyclables would go and blue on the other side where the garbage destined for the compost piles was deposited. On trash day, collectors rolled the containers up a ramp, then strapped them on. From there, a motorized system raised the containers over the truck, titled them upside down and set them precisely at a spot to allow the recyclables to slide down into one side of the truck and the trash to dump out into the other side.
Once the truck was full, it would drive to an area where the recyclables would be dispersed into a material separation system. I believe it was a type of water filtering system, designed to direct wood, paper, metal, plastic, glass and other materials into separate piles. The garbage was emptied into a landfill that contained only materials that would be composted. It worked well and was successful.
Another area in which I would like to see our communities follow suit is hazardous waste disposal. Although there are various ways to do this now, most are inconvenient and available on limited dates and times, which doesn't bode well for success rates. As a result, some people needing to get rid of motor oil, paint and other toxic items may resort to horrible practices, such as storing them in their homes, hiding them in the trash or maybe taking a drive down a back road at night and tossing the materials into the woods.
In Europe, if I had a can of motor oil, I could call a local agency and let them know what I had to dispose of and they would come to my home almost immediately to have it removed. This practice was simple, convenient and efficient.
I hope that the recent recycling successes locally encourage people to continue on this path that the cities are providing us and that it doesn't take another 25 years to catch up to what the European nations have long known — that simplicity and ease equal compliance.
¢¢¢
Bill Goss is the owner of Quality Systems Consulting Group in Amesbury. His Web site is www.merrimackvalleygreen.com. If you have any questions regarding Going Green, send them to merrimackvalleygreen@comcast.net and he will answer them in upcoming columns.
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
Hurricane Forecast: 15 Named Storms Expected
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Search Intensifies for Missing Louisiana Woman
Bloomberg: Man Implicates Self in Etan Patz Case
NYPD: Person Implicated in Etan Patz Death
Raw Video: Fire on Nuke-powered Sub in Maine
Illegal Burn Suspected in Nevada Fire
Obama: 'We've Got More Work to Do'
Astrologers Predict Outcome of Presidential Race
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
FAMU Bandmates: Victim Volunteered to Be Hazed
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Tornado Appears During Wedding
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
Inquiry Hears Wider Secret Service Misbehavior
HP to Cut 27,000 Jobs, Save Up to $3.5B
