One of my tasks as an intern for the city has been to develop a recycling proposal to target apartment complexes in Shawnee that don’t recycle. As a result of the project, I now have a plethora of recycling knowledge.
For example, did you know that since the start of the year, Shawnee has seen a 34 percent increase in residential recycling? Or did you know that Ripple Glass drop-off stations for residential glass are available for citizens at Splash Cove, local Price Choppers, Metcalf Bank and the Johnson County landfill? More information can be found on the city’s website.
At my house, recycling is a fairly new thing. For awhile, certain members of my family doubted that trash companies actually recycled materials and even my own urging could not coax a start to recycling. Eventually, I made a little box for paper recycling and eventually, meaning several years later, a trash can with the familiar yellow top sits in our driveway. We recently just started a container for glass to be carted to Ripple Glass locations as well.
Working at the city has only made me more conscious of which bin I place my trash in. Recycling bins are in the corner of every room I’ve ever been in and even the light for the room I work in automatically turns on and off with motion. As I wrote about in my first week, environmentally-friendly light bulbs fill office spaces to be handed out at city events, just a further reminder of the city’s commitment to clean energy.
The city also holds events fairly often to promote “green” efforts. On Saturday, Nov. 5, the city will hold Operation Secure Shred! on the same day as America Recycles Day to provide secure disposal of documents that will later be recycled. The event will take place in the Splash Cove parking lot from 9-11 a.m. A $5 donation for small loads of paper and a $10 donation for large loads of paper is suggested to help offset shredding costs.
After seeing how passionate city staff is about recycling, I only want to promote such events more. My contributions to the overall recycling efforts are limited, but maybe next week I will try to memorize the list of what can and cannot be recycled to share with willing readers.
