Starve the incinerator.

In reference to the article on October 24, 2007 (“Trash Flow at Troubled Incinerator Increases"), why don’t the residents in Jackson County do their best to put the incinerator out of business?

A quote from the article stated “the amount of trash being diverted to the landfill also has increased, but (Steve) Shotwell said that is because trash flow overall has increased.” This is good news?

I find it disheartening that trash flow has increased. When will the residents of Jackson County understand that the trash hauling fees they pay are directly tied to the $91.41 per-ton tipping fee? By reducing the amount of material they put on the curb each week as trash, they can save themselves money, as well as reduce the overall trash flow.

A lot of the material that is put out as trash can be disposed of in many of the areas recycling collection points. This will reduce the trash flow to the incinerator, which in turn could eventually lead to a decreased need for the incinerator itself.

At a recent electronic waste collection event coordinated by Recycling Jackson, over 24,000 pounds (12 tons) of “e-waste” was collected. This was a six hour event, and if that material was disposed of as “trash” and taken to the incinerator, the cost would have been just over $1,000 in tipping fees. By collecting this material during the event, the burning or burying of this material in the McGill Landfill was prevented.

Recycling can be an emotional issue of “saving the environment”, but for those that are looking for ways to reduce expenses at home, simply removing the recyclable material from their trash can save them money. Businesses that remove recyclable material from their trash can realize savings up to 50% on their trash hauling costs.

It is time for Jackson County residents to make it a goal to reduce the dependence on the incinerator, and force the local government to find a different way to generate income from trash; 6,563 tons of trash generated nearly $600,000 in tipping fees in September.

If the county became more proactive on recycling, couldn’t we have generated income from an aggressive recycling program, and reduce that 6,563 tons of trash being burned or buried in September?

I think so.


[by David Milis, written as a letter to the editor to the Jackson Citizen Patriot.]