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North County Program Targets Marketable Varieties : Recycler Turns Attention to ‘Indestructible’ Plastic

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Times Staff Writer

A Solana Beach recycling outfit, responding to the dearth of county landfill space and mounting concern about the potential hazards of burning plastic, will announce today an innovative plastic-recycling program.

Solana Recyclers, named the best curb-side recycling program in the state in 1988 by the California Resources Recovery Assn., hopes eventually to collect plastic refuse from all 15,000 single-family homes in Encinitas.

The association, established in 1974, is an organization of profit and nonprofit recycling outfits that advocates the greater use of recycling to solve waste-disposal problems.

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The plastic-recycling program--a first for San Diego County and only the second of its kind in the state--plans to encourage residents to sort their trash and place plastic material in a special container, said Brooke Nash, executive director of Solana Recyclers.

First Phase of Program

In the first phase of the program, more than 2,000 plastic containers--manufactured by Rubbermaid and made in part from recycled plastic--will be distributed.

Solana Recyclers’ dump trucks will then collect the plastic refuse about twice a month.

Plastic, often called “indestructible garbage” because it takes hundreds of years to biodegrade or break down, has been one of the primary culprits in clogging the county’s landfills, Nash said.

Faced with a shortage of landfills and no other successful methods of plastic disposal, county civic and business leaders have recently begun exploring the potential promise that plastic recycling may hold.

“We are in an era of limited natural resources,” said county Supervisor Susan Golding, a recycling advocate. “We have to develop ways of reusing and recycling as much of the waste as we produce. What Solana Recyclers is trying to do fits perfectly within our county’s plans.”

Importance of Buyers

In December, 1987, the County Board of Supervisors, led by Golding, adopted a countywide plan that intends to use recycling programs as the primary means to reduce waste by 30% by 1994.

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“It’s also important to realize that no recycling effort will work unless there is somebody to buy what you’re recycling,” said Golding, who was also instrumental in forming a county task force charged with developing a local recycling market for plastic.

Capitalizing on the creation of such a task force and the passing of state legislation that encourages recycling programs, Solana Recyclers is spearheading efforts to place plastic in the same company with the more popular recycling materials.

“The big three--paper, glass and aluminum--have traditionally been collected in any recycling program,” Nash said. “Plastic recycling is in a large degree still in its infancy on the West Coast.”

Difficulty in separating and identifying recyclable components of plastics slowed recycling programs. But recent technological advances have determined that plastics, such as polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene, can be recycled. Solana Recyclers’ program is different because it is one of the first in the state to provide these highly desired types of plastics to manufacturers.

Such recycled material can be sold to various plastic-using industries. Solana Recyclers already has a contract to sell its refuse to Republic Tool & Manufacturing Corp. in Carlsbad.

Market Exists

Guy McRoskey, vice president of Republic, enthusiastically supports Solana Recyclers’ programs and believes a market for recycled plastic exists. But he is worried whether recyclers can supply his demand for plastic.

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“The triggering factor for us in making the substantial investment (of purchasing recycling equipment) is whether we can be assured a sufficient supply,” McRoskey said. “There have to be many, many more Solana Recyclers to make enough volume to warrant an investment on our part for production on a mass basis.”

Unless enough successful plastic-recycling programs are launched soon, supporters say, an opportunity to use a financially sound method to address the landfill crisis will be lost.

The plastic-recycling program is an expansion of services provided by the 5-year-old Solana Recyclers, the brainchild of environmentally conscious UC San Diego students.

In its infancy, the program began by dispatching one beat-up truck to collect material, such as paper, glass and aluminum, from the neighborhoods of Solana Beach, said Nash, one of the group’s founders.

Program Soon in Demand

Boosted by a high level of community participation and recognized by civic leaders for its success, the fledgling program was soon in demand in neighboring cities.

In the past three fiscal years, the nonprofit organization’s operating budget has increased more than thirteenfold to $366,000 from $27,000, and its services have expanded to 22,000 households from 4,300.

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To finance the plastic-recycling program, Solana Recyclers applied for and received a $38,684 grant from the state Department of Conservation Division of Recycling, which administers the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986.

According to Kate McGuire, a spokeswoman for the state recycling division, the legislation established a minimum redemption value of 1 cent for every beverage container made of plastic, glass or aluminum. She said unredeemed funds are awarded to finance recycling and litter programs in the state.

Task Force Formed

In recognition of the growing support for plastic recycling, county supervisors authorized the formation of a plastic-recycling task force in October, 1988.

The task force--which includes representatives from the plastics industry, recyclers, waste haulers and environmental groups--is scheduled to meet today for the first time, said Richard V. Anthony, task force chairman. Anthony is also the solid-waste program manager for the County Department of Public Works.

With a little effort, the county’s recycling goals can be met, Nash said.

“Everyone should take responsibility for their own trash. We want people to change their behavior and think about what they can recycle. And we intend to give them a convenient opportunity to do this. It’s as easy as taking out the trash.”

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