Recycling in many different forms is on the rise in Olmsted Falls. Mayor Ann Marie Donegan said for the past year residents have been receptive to the new citywide soft recycling program.
“Business & Community Services Manager Rosann Jones is always looking for ways to enhance people’s lives as well as things that are kind to the environment and so forth,” Donegan said. “She brought forward Simple Recycling, which is a company growing in participation from other municipalities.”
Items accepted by Simple Recycling include men’s clothing, women’s clothing, children’s clothing, coats/jackets, jewelry, shoes, purses, hats, toys, blankets, drapes/curtains, pillows, sleeping bags, tools, silverware, dishes, pots/pans and backpacks.
Residents are provided orange Simple Recycling bags, which they leave on their tree lawn for collection. They’ll be collected on their refuse or recycling day.
“There’s been an outstanding concern for the environment and cooperation between Simple Recycling, Olmsted Falls officials and the residents,” Simple Recycling representative Bill Wilk said. “Simple Recycling’s results have been excellent.聽Since July 2016, 27,087 pounds of material have been picked up and diverted from the landfill.”
Wilk added the United States generates an average of 25 billion pounds of textiles per year with 85 percent going to landfills. Also, the EPA estimates the average person annually throws away 70 pounds of clothing, which equates to 3.8 billion pounds of unnecessary waste added to our landfills.
Not only is Simple Recycling going to save the city money regarding landfill costs, but Donegan said there are also small rebates.
“We received $50 in a quarter, which is very small, but the residents are very positive and getting used to it,” Donegan said. “I’d say the ease of using Simple Recycling is unbelievable.
“I’ve used it myself. When you leave a bag out, they leave you a new bag at your door. They’re constantly marketing and it’s growing in participation.”
In terms of Olmsted Falls recycling, the Mayor said education has been the key with the city six months ago receiving a $500 Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District grant, which was used to purchase a banner promoting recycling in the city.
“In 2015, we were at 43.32 percent, while last year that jumped to 49.47 percent,” Donegan said. “I think that can be somewhat attributed to educating residents about what it means to recycle. We also hold local shredding days twice a year. All of it works together to create a greener little footprint here in our city.
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