 by DAVID NASH Recycling has always been a pretty successful initiative on Martha’s
Vineyard despite many difficulties and obstacles which need to be
overcome on a day-to-day basis. Even without government mandates many
of our business owners, farmers, and individuals have come up with
creative ways to reuse and recycle the wastes we generate. Much of the
Vineyard is now served by haulers who pick up recyclables in what is
called “single stream” recycling; essentially a mixing of the commonly
recycled materials which are then transported off-island to facilities
where the recyclables are sorted into similar waste streams for further
processing and reuse. The facilities do this sorting using conveyor
belts, magnets, fans and even human power. We seem to be realizing some
subtle changes in the way recycling is happening here. The Steamship
Authority now has very visible recycling containers at their terminals
and recycling is even occurring on some of the boats. More stores are
including recycling containers alongside their regular trash
containers. Commercial haulers have drastically increased their ability
to handle recyclables and will now assist in creating business specific
recycling management systems (see the VCS Almanac interviews conducted
with our local hauling companies). Solar technology is even being used
in Tisbury | and Oak Bluffs for waste management in the form of small
solar powered compactor units for trash and recyclables. (These units
also reduce the frequency of emptying the containers saving money for
the towns). The use of biodegradable materials for food service is
increasing all over the island. But there is still much room for improvement and there are even some setbacks in our efforts to recycle. The Town of Tisbury recently made a few minor changes to its’ curbside collection service which decreased the recyclables handled and Oak Bluffs does not include recyclables in its’ curbside program. Island towns are slowly moving towards the formation of a single waste handling authority but until that happens we will be missing out on cost saving efficiencies as well as potential improvements in recycling options. The use of biodegradables and compostables is surging on the island but we still lack a composting facility to handle these materials. Our Slow Food events and many of our island’s summer happenings are striving to achieve “zero waste” status by setting standards which cause little or no waste to be generated or which seek to recycle all that can conceivably be recycled. VCS has produced a brochure which serves as a zero waste primer of sorts that allows anyone holding an event such as a fair, wedding, or fundraiser to go through the planning process to try to identify ways to minimize waste. There is no doubt that recyclables have value as the raw materials for other products. Here on the island, their value is also measured by the avoided costs of disposal as a waste material and that is where our recycling efforts provide the greatest benefit.
Recycling has been of great concern to VCS over the years so we
decided to conduct a bit of a survey to see if we could identify what
we are doing right and maybe find some ways to improve what we are
doing. VCS board members and staff designed and conducted this small
survey over this past year focusing on recycling efforts and
opportunities (or missed opportunities depending on your viewpoint). We
visited a wide variety of businesses representing significant diversity
in problems, costs and challenges in dealing with waste. |
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