Crawford County residents recycled 69 tons of items during the month of January, more than doubling previous collections, according to a county commissioner. Tim Ley, president of the board of commissioners, said officials from Rumpke Waste and Recycling recently notified the board of the increased amount. “That’s newspaper, cardboard, plastic and cans and bottles — plastic bottles and all that,” Ley said. “And that is a huge amount. But more importantly, that 69 tons stayed out of the landfill.”
In the past, a good month’s collection was typically 30 tons, he said, “so we’re talking doubled.” Commissioners would like to see the amount recycled each month continue to increase, Ley said. Rumpke officials pointed out that it’s usually harder to get people to recycle in winter, so he’s optimistic that will happen.