(Boise, ID) – Help Mother Nature out this Valentine’s Day by giving that special someone you love the gift of recycling. The City of Boise, Ada County and Allied Waste have made it MUCH easier to recycle by offering expanded plastic recycling opportunities.
Plastics numbered 1-7 can now be recycled curbside for City of Boise and all other residents serviced by Allied/BFI in Ada County. Previously, only plastics numbered 1-3 were accepted at the curb. For example, residents can now recycle yogurt/butter containers, virtually all plastic bottles, plastic take-out containers, plastic cups and much more.
It’s important to note, there are still a few items that will not be accepted: Styrofoam, plastic bags and cling wraps.
The recycled materials are turned into a variety of products like fleece clothing, building materials, re-usable shopping bags, garden pots and much more.
“When we recycle our community saves energy, conserves resources, reduces greenhouse emissions, and stimulates the development of green technologies,” Public Works environmental programs manager Catherine Chertudi said.
City of Boise and Ada County residents combined recycled nearly 12,000 tons of material at the curb in 2006, with the average family in Boise recycling 236 pounds of material. Ada County is the only county in Idaho where curbside recycling is offered to every single resident.
"The combined efforts of our curbside recycling program, paired with our other landfill recycling programs, prevented more than 50,000 tons of material from being buried in the Ada County Landfill," said Ada County Solid Waste Management Director Dave Neal. "That effort greatly reduces the amount of storage space needed, and when you operate a landfill, space equals money."
Officials were joined during a Valentine’s Day news conference by a group of students from Fairmont Junior high to kick-off the new plastic recycling guidelines. The students created a very unique piece of art work demonstrating their “Labor of Love.”
“The project is a mosaic of recyclable plastics made into flowers,” Fairmont Junior High art teacher Mary Dragone said. “It’s a symbol of the materials being reborn again and being given a new life.”
By recycling in the City of Boise, residents can even reduce their trash bill. For more information on recycling rates call the City of Boise Public Works at 384-3901 or click here for more information.
You can also call Public Works Community Relations Supervisor Vince Trimboli at 384-3927, or Rich Wright with Ada County at 287-7014 for more information on the Valentine’s Day news conference.