Pick-up effort brings in cash
Published 9:06 am Monday, May 2, 2011
Nathan Meyer picks up trash next to the river in Sutton Park as part of Pack 113's efforts to clean up Austin as part of Community Pride Day Saturday. -- Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
This year, it paid to clean up Austin.
Conservation Minnesota partnered with the Austin Coalition for Environmental Sustainability to promote recycling programs during the fifth annual Clean Up Austin Day Saturday.
Conservation Minnesota paid 10 cents per aluminum can and plastic bottle to demonstrate how the Recycling Refund bill introduced in state Legislature could work in Minnesota.
“We’re just thrilled to partner with Conservation Minnesota on the project,” said Merlene Stiles, vice-president of ACES.
John Tuma, a lobbyist with Conservation Minnesota, said Minnesotans throw away millions in recyclables each year.
“When you do that, you’re throwing a valuable resource away,” he said.
Many companies, Tuma contended, would use recycled aluminum and plastics.
The bill would allow companies to pay for recycled material like cans and bottles, something Tuma argued would bring money and jobs to the state. These companies donated money to Conservation Minnesota to pay for the recyclables in select communities like they would if the bill passed.
“Instead of just going in a landfill, it goes back on your shelves, and that’s a good thing for local units of government,” Tuma said. “We’re throwing this all away. You have to put it some place, and it’s better to take that and put it back in the market place.”
There is room for improvement in Minnesota when it comes to recycling, Tuma said. Minnesotans only recycle about 35 percent of their waste containers, and Tuma noted Iowa is much better.
“In Iowa, they recycle over 90 percent,” he said. “The idea is if we can increase our recycling, we’ll actually create jobs.”
The money paid per can and bottle was donated to ACES this year, where it will go to whoever takes in the waste if the bill passes.
However, Tuma noted groups like ACES may still benefit in the future. Groups like the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and Cub Scouts will be able to donate cans to groups, who will then get the money.
“We’re taking care of our waste instead of making government take care of it,” Tuma said.
