Lane County residents brought in 7.49 tons of recyclable plastic items to the Glenwood Transfer Station in April, said Angie Marzano, county waste reduction specialist. Waste haulers around Lane County changed their recycling rules last year in response to shifting international markets, causing fewer plastics to be acceptable in curbside recycling bins and at transfer stations. “We more than exceeded our expectations on the success of the event,” she said.
The roundup on April 7 attracted 1,043 vehicles that brought roughly 7,000 pounds of clean No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 plastics — mostly bottles, jugs and tubs, Marzano said. The remainder of the material, about 8,000 pounds, was gathered by “community collectors.” Volunteers held smaller collections throughout March. “One of the trailers full of material was just (filled by) community collectors,” Marzano said.
The roundup resulted in 2 1/2 semi-trailers full of plastics, she said. County residents brought in 2.79 tons of plastics on Sept. 29 last year, Lane County’s first recycling roundup. Denton Plastics of Portland took in the plastics from both roundups. The company grinds the plastic into chips or melts it into pellets, which it then sells to manufacturers to make park benches, decking, flower pots and more. Lane County waste officials will decide in early June if they will hold another recycling roundup.