Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Just like Shirley Kinnison, local residents use the recycle drive-thru at the Kimball Recycle Center.
Kimball resident Shirley Kinnison, 91, has a heart for recycling. Her passion runs deep and has been going on for more than 40 years.
Shirley sees the whole picture. She said, "It is so important when you stop to think about the number of people and compare that to Omaha or Denver. I can't believe how much one person, like myself, has to recycle. Then think of a family and then the whole town."
Shirley would like to see people rewarded for recycling, even on a small scale, to make people feel good about recycling. Her ideas to encourage people to recycle include receiving coupons, badges, or discounts of some sort. Shirley thinks local groups such as the Rotary, Eagles and the school district should emphasize recycling.
Even though people find excuses, Shirley says recycling is easy, especially since many of the alleys have totes into which everything recyclable can go. But once or twice a week, Shirley takes extras to Kimball Recycling Center, and the drive-up couldn't be easier, even for a 91-year-old.
Shirley explained that one of her favorite programs is one that few people are aware of. Her special program is the Hefty Orange Bag program, but you don't need the orange bag; a simple grocery bag will do.
The following plastic items are recyclable: juice and baby food squeeze pouches, food storage bags, cereal liners, plastic tableware, yogurt, sour cream pudding containers, foam products such as cups, plates, and go containers, toothpaste and lotion tubes.
The irony of Colorado's attempt to eliminate plastic sacks, as they charge for each bag, is not lost on Shirley. She thinks it is so ridiculous because of all the other things made of plastic, which they are not doing anything about.
Spud Rowley from the Kimball Recycling Center is encouraged by Shirley's commitment to recycling. He said she recycles everything, "because she cares." Generally about 18% of the public recycle, but in Kimball and the surrounding areas Rowley estimates the average is more like 25%. He said Kimball far exceeds any other western Nebraska town in recycling.
Reminiscing about the start of Kimball's quest for a clean community and recycling, Shirley explained the beginning.
According to Shirley and the Kimball County History Book, Keep America Beautiful was founded in 1953 and eventually came to Kimball in the 1980s when Nate Eastman approached the Rotary Club to initiate the program.
Eastman attended a training session and calculated the amount of litter. In 1983, Kimball was certified a Clean Community, and Nebraska State Environmental Control awarded Kimball $6,700. Bonnie McNees and Kay Snyder served as Kimball Clean Community's program coordinators.
The Kimball Clean Community worked hard to make people aware of anti-litter projects. Volunteers helped plant over 200 trees to beatify a littered area, contests, and workshops.
Bonnie McNees wrote in the History Book, "It took the initiative of one person to start the Kimball Clean Community System, but keeping it alive takes the help of hundreds of volunteers. Truly a community project."
