By Andy Dahn
BLOOMINGTON – McLean County continues to produce impressive numbers when it comes to recycling.
The county recycled over 85,000 tons of solid waste in 2014, the highest number in the past five years. Executive Director of the Ecology Action Center Michael Brown said both Bloomington and Normal deserve a lot of credit for the recycling numbers.
“Both now offer curbside, single-stream recycling,” Brown said. “That makes things more convenient for people to participate and that increases participation and total amount recycled. We also have other new recycling programs that continue to evolve and grow in the community.”
Recycling systems for things like clothing, shoes, towels and sheets, electronics and construction items were just a few Brown said have helped the community. The county posted a recycling rate of 37.7-percent in 2013, just over 2-percent away from the community wide goal of 40-percent.
“We’re actually matching that for 2014,” said Brown. “So really no change in that percentage rate. We’re staying strong, we have some good things going on and people are participating in recycling programs. We’re getting very close to that community wide goal.”
As more and more waste is being disposed and recycled, local landfills are starting to reach full capacity. Brown said the numbers reflect our current lifestyle.
“As people have more disposable income, they’re buying more disposable, more single-use items and less durable goods,” Brown said. “So there’s more going in the trash. Part of this is our current culture. We’re kind of oriented to being a convenience culture.”
It’s estimated the McLean County Landfill currently has less than two years of capacity. You can see the full 2014 recycling report and learn more about community recycling at ecologyactioncenter.org.
Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].
