Recycling embraced, propelling city into first place

Trailers for recyclable items are located behind the Emergency Services Building, next to the water tower in Pea Ridge on the southwest side of the four-way stop at Slack Street, Lee Town and South Curtis Avenue.
Trailers for recyclable items are located behind the Emergency Services Building, next to the water tower in Pea Ridge on the southwest side of the four-way stop at Slack Street, Lee Town and South Curtis Avenue.

— The City of Pea Ridge is saving the planet one plastic bottle at a time.

In cooperation with Benton County Solid Waste District, Pea Ridge is one of three locations in the county that provides citizens with trailers to drop off recyclable items, such as cardboard, glass, plastic, mixed paper and aluminum cans. Cave Springs and Decatur also have drop-off locations.

The trailers have been located behind the Emergency Services Building for about three or four years, said Mayor Jackie Crabtree. Every week, or more frequentlyif needed, the full trailers are swapped for empty ones.

“People are really taking advantage of it,” he said.

Pea Ridge is ranked number one of the three participating cities of its size in the amount of recyclable items it collects.

The Pea Ridge Rural Recycling Collection Program produces about 30 to 35 percent more material on average each week than the Cave Springs or Decatur programs, according to Wendy Cravens, director of BCSWD. Typically, the Pea Ridge program collects 46 cubic yards of cardboard mix per week and an additional 24 cubic yards of other materials.

“It’s amazing to think how much this program has grown in five years.

We used to have a oncea-month recycling drive, coordinated by Dorothy Lynch and staffed by volunteer groups. Now, twice per week, we are collecting a volume similar to what was collected at the monthly drives,” Cravens said. “The residents of Pea Ridge and the surrounding rural areas have embraced this program and the participation is truly remarkable!”

This service was originally provided by a grant from the state to BCSWD, which was used to purchase the equipment for this project in the county.

Crabtree said the City pays a quarterly fee per capita to BCSWD, about $200 every three months. Cravens said that money goes into the BCSWD general fund and funds all programs in the area, including school recycling programs, recycling centers, household hazardous waste collection and a waste tire program.

“For the benefits we receive, it’s really a bargain,” Crabtree said.

With the price of recyclable items today, it’s difficult to construct a recycling facility and also have volunteers to staff it and make any profit, Crabtree said.

Full-size recycling facilities are located in Rogersand Bentonville.

The biggest complaint, Crabtree said, is people wanting to dispose of grass clippings in the spring and leaves in the fall. There is just no place to compost things like grass clippings in Pea Ridge. It would be so expensive for a dumpster service, the city would have to chargeresidents for disposal.

Crabtree urged citizens to see the composting information on the City of Pea Ridge’s Web site at www.pea-ridge-ar.com.

Leaves and other yard waste such as brush and limbs can be burned under a burn permit obtained through the city.

News, Pages 1 on 05/19/2010