Winter news from Recycling Jackson

Two things we want to pass along.

One, On November 1, 2009, Recycling Jackson began collecting $1 per pound to offset our cost to recycle your alkaline batteries. One pound of batteries is approximately a quart bag full of batteries. To our knowledge, we are the only company in town that actually recycles the batteries. If you are going elsewhere please ask if they are actually recycling the alkaline batteries that you drop off.

For environmental and economic reasons we strongly encourage you to consider using rechargeable or lithium batteries as an alternative to the alkaline batteries that you use.

We continue to recycle rechargeable batteries (NiCd, NiMh) and Lithium batteries at no cost.

Second, Starting in January of 2010 we will only be open on the first Saturday of each month through June of 2010. This is not by choice but due to financial reasons.

About 18 months ago Recycling Jackson was told that we would no longer receive payment for the paper, plastic, glass, metal and cardboard that we collected at our Monroe St. drop-off site. With that decision, the primary source of income needed to run our recycling operation dried up. We had hoped that the funding would come back over time, but the economic situation in our state and community has made that scenario seem unlikely.

While Recycling Jackson will limit our drop-off site operations, we will be expanding our advocacy and education efforts in the community. Those efforts are grant- and local-donor-funded and they continue to receive strong support. Next year, our community education efforts will be a team effort through the Dahlem Conservancy. That partnership will help us expand our education efforts to include the Green Schools program.

Again, I do apologize to our many loyal members for having to make these changes, but Recycling Jackson cannot operate without income. Please watch for more information on an adopt-a-recycling site program that we hope to start in 2010. That program is aimed at keeping the recycling drop-off sites around town clean, and to provide assistance to those that need it for unloading materials.

Watch here, or our web site for details.