Collaborative effort to address electronic and tire recycling problem
State officials say they want to address how to better facilitate the disposal of hard-to-recycle items. This photo shows tires piled up on Twilight Road in Twilight Borough.
Old tires are built up along Twilight Hollow Road in Twilight Borough.
Tires are piled up on Twilight Road in Twlight Borough. State officials are discussing how to address the problem.
As the city of Monongahela recently learned, recycling isn’t as simple as asking residents to drop off televisions and tires at a central location.
On April 30, hard-to-recycle items were left at designated areas in Monongahela for pickup by the state. However, when officials learned the items wouldn’t be picked up right away, it resulted in a pile of tires and electronics at the city’s Chess Park. During the next two days, a group of council members and residents helped to collect the refuse and dispose of it.
“This situation illustrates that the Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) is not functioning as intended when it was passed in 2010,” said state Senator Camera Bartolotta, who represents Washington and Greene counties. “Unfortunately, there are thousands of illegal dump sites across the commonwealth that pollute our environment and create public health hazards.”
Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township and state Rep. Bud Cook, R-Coal Center, split the $7,600 tab for the handling and hauling of the refuse to Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling. The invoice accounted for the proper disposal of 525 tires. Electronics were accepted at no charge.
Ellen Keefe, executive director of Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling, said that when state legislators passed an E-waste recycling law in 2010, they hoped that the bill would spur on more efficient collection of electronic items. But, as it turned out, the law is having the opposite effect.
“The Covered Device Recycling Act made it clear that consumers couldn’t be charged for the collection, transportation or recycling of a TV or electronic items,” said Keefe. “Recycling companies made their money by contracting with manufacturers who offered a subsidy for the collection of used electronic items. But when manufacturers hit their recycling funding quota, they balked at the idea of accepting any more items. As a result, recycling vendors are declining to participate in the state program and many municipalities are dropping their recycling programs.”
Bartolotta said she would offer her support to legislation that helps to address problems with the CDRA.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to determine how we can improve the CDRA and make it easier for consumers to recycle old televisions, computers and other E-waste items. The problem of illegal E-waste disposal and other forms of illegal dumping is only growing and while it is a complex issue that will undoubtedly require a multi-faceted solution, I believe we must be proactive in addressing this problem,” she said.
Westmoreland Cleanways is a Latrobe-based recycling center that serves Westmoreland County and several surrounding counties. It serves as a collection center for hard-to-dispose materials such as computers, TVs, monitors and other electronic equipment, as well as tires, heavy equipment, freon appliances, scrap metal, lead acid batteries, bulbs, fixtures, used motor oil and reusable shoes. All the materials Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling collects are shipped to JVS Environmental LLC in Somerset which disassembles parts and recycles various electronic items.
“People don’t know what to do with their old TVs, computers and tires,” said Cook, who represents parts of Fayette and Washington counties. “Some of that waste is being dumped on back roads or hillsides. Other waste is being tossed into the river or streams. Not only is that an unsightly mess, it poses a threat to our environment and to public health. We have to find a solution for this problem before it gets out of control.”
He said he’s spearheading an initiative to make it easier and more cost-effective for municipalities to schedule and implement recycling programs. He is meeting with electronics recyclers, electronics manufacturers, E-industry lobbyists, waste haulers and nonprofit organizations, as well as local and state officials, to get ideas for a pilot recycling program he wants to launch in his district.
“People from this area don’t get many opportunities to recycle their TVs and tires,” he said. “Quite often, municipalities only have a recycling event once a year. And even then, people are lining up around the block, only to waste several hours waiting to get rid of their items. It’s time to find a better answer for this problem.”
Keefe said that several lessons were learned after the recycling mishap in Monongahela.
“There is a protocol you have to follow when organizing a recycling event,” she said. “Before you can have a collection, you have to register with the (state Department of Environmental Protection). Next, it’s important to contact a recycling center and confirm that they can schedule and handle the materials. The municipality should also make arrangements with a hauler so they can drop off roll-off dumpster trucks ahead of time. The day of the event, staff should be present to collect the materials and put them in the dumpsters. Finally, arrangements must be made to deliver the recyclable items to a recycling center.”
Sharon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, pledged to continue providing technical assistance and guidance for community and recycling initiatives throughout the area.
“Our mission is to empower people to keep our communities clean and beautiful,” said Reiter, who added that Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful partners with the Washington County Planning Office in support of its annual tire collection program. Several weeks ago, Washington County residents brought in 2,249 tires for disposal. Since 2012, Washington County, with the support of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, has collected 13,605 tires through the joint effort.
Cook plans to launch his pilot program in Donora, Monongahela and New Eagle, and then roll it out to other communities throughout the district. He’s hopeful it will launch with a collections event on Aug. 4.
“We want to see what works and what doesn’t work,” he said. “We’re exploring ideas such as rolling collections through the area and more frequent recycling drives. And Harrisburg must do its part. We need to pass new legislation because the act that was passed in 2010 isn’t getting it done.”
Cook is confident that a solution can be found for the recycling problem.
“Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons,” said Cook. “I think there are opportunities to do some good things. Maybe we could start recycling within our own district. We could create more jobs out of a problem. Whatever happens, something must be done to clean up our cities and towns. Otherwise, we won’t bring in new businesses and residents. You only get one chance to make a good impression.”