Kimball Recycles With America

America Recycles Day on Friday, Nov. 15, was celebrated in Kimball at the Kimball Recycling Center with an open house, tours and education. Guests were treated to breakfast, lunch or dinner at the all-day affair.

Kimball Recycling Center Director Spud Rowley is passionate about recycling. He never tires of giving tours and explaining statistics. In the third quarter, the center recycled over 212,000 pounds of cardboard, 11,000 pounds of shredded paper, almost 17,000 pounds of household plastics, and about 16,000 pounds of mixed plastics. The center is making a difference in the volume of plastics taken to the landfill.

The center also takes electronics, metals, tires, appliances, and just about anything else that can be recycled. The center even has an area designated for handicapped shower chairs. Rowley said people don't know what to do with those things and hate to throw them out, so the center has an ample supply if anyone needs them.

The five R's – refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle – are the foundation of the center.

Refuse to use plastic utensils, plastic straws, or disposable cups. Ways to reduce this include using a reusable water bottle, switching to paperless billing, and buying concentrates and compact packages like frozen juices.

To reuse items means bring your shopping bags, donate books, magazines and puzzles to schools or nursing homes, and to reuse jars and containers for goods or household storage.

Repurposing is widespread for many and helps keep items out of the landfill.

Finally, recycle cardboard, plastics, aluminum, steel cans, clear, brown and green glass, electronics and appliances.