Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 11, November 2003

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.

A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE:

Redoubling small business recycling

By RON HARRIS-WHITE

There is political power in your recycling bin! In fact, reducing waste, reusing materials and products, and recycling are some of the most powerful ways individuals, households and businesses can protect the environment.

Reusing discarded products and using recycling materials to make new products reduces the use of virgin materials, which often involves harvesting trees and mining the earth. Enormous amounts of energy are required to make products and materials worldwide. Tremendous energy savings come from using recycled instead of virgin materials in manufacturing. One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television or computer on three hours or a 100-watt light bulb for 20 hours.

For the past 14 years, Seattle has been a national leader in recycling. Between 1988 and 1995, Seattle's residential rate-payers saved $12 million by recycling instead of throwing everything in the garbage. During that same period, the City's overall recycling rate increased from 25 percent to 44 percent. In 2001, Seattle's recycling rate was 38 percent, a drop of two percentage points from the previous year.

Mayor Greg Nickels recently proposed his "60 Percent Recycling Goals" to reaffirm Seattle's leadership in recycling. His 10-point proposal: focuses on the commercial sector, where there is the greatest need for improvement; includes many mandatory programs to divert the greatest number of tons for the least cost; recommends commercial food waste collection; broadens the scope of waste reduction activities to incorporate product stewardship.

In 2001, the City included small businesses in its recycling program. Seattle businesses that generate 96 gallons or less of garbage per week now may be able receive recycling collection from the curb or alley for FREE.

Ninety-six gallons of garbage per week is equal to:

· Three 32-gallon garbage cans collected each week;

· A half-cubic yard Dumpster collected every week;

· A one-cubic yard Dumper collected every other week;

· A two-cubic yard Dumpster collected every four weeks.

You must be able to bring the wheeled recycling cart and glass bin to the public street, curb or alley of the business. The cart and bin need to be placed within three feet of the curb or alley by 7 a.m. of the scheduled collection day.

For more information about recycling in Seattle, visit www.seattle.gov/util/services/recycling. Power to the people. Let's recycle!

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Ron Harris-White of Seattle Public Utilities is head of Mayor Nickels' "Clean Seattle" Initiative. Ron is a University District resident. He can be reached at 684-7666.