Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 14, 1993 TAG: 9311120079
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
It worked.
Three years and thousands of tons of recyclables later, the Blacksburg curbside recycling program has diverted enough trash from the county's landfill to fill Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium.
And Kathy Carmichael couldn't be happier.
Carmichael, the town's recycling coordinator, is also the program's biggest cheerleader whether she's touting recycling successes to a civic club or distributing the bright blue recycling bins that border front lawns all over Blacksburg.
And her dedication hasn't gone unnoticed.
Mention her name to other town officials and employees and you're likely to hear one of the many affectionate nicknames she has earned since she started with the project in 1990: "Bag Lady" or "Recycle Queen" or "The Woman Who Talks Trash."
Carmichael - who seems as proud of her nicknames as a Boy Scout of his merit badges - said the workload and long hours involved in the job are worth it, especially when she considers what Blacksburg residents are doing to help extend the landfill and preserve the environment.
"I love my job," she said. "I think it's a very important cause and we need to get everyone involved."
For Carmichael, the job was a chance to combine her marketing degree from Virginia Tech and her interest in the environment. She first began working part time with the town's recycling project in 1990, when it first started. A year ago, Carmichael's job became full time.
Originally, some townspeople appeared hesitant to spend the necessary time to cooperate with the program, but now Carmichael finds most have become as excited about the program as she is.
"Blacksburg's residents are very supportive," she said. "They make my job so easy; they're totally committed week after week."
When the program started, 80 percent of the townspeople participated, a figure that has risen steadily since.
The program's scope has expanded along with its success, she said. The town now collects mixed paper and steel cans along with aluminum, glass, newsprint and plastic.
Once the town collects the materials, they are handed over to Montgomery County's recycling center, which markets them to mills and manufacturers - mostly those located in Virginia.
In addition to the curbside recycling program, Carmichael said the town's "Don't Bag It, Use It" campaign for lawn clippings during the summer has diverted 90 percent of bagged clippings from the landfill over the past two years.
And that's nothing compared to the leaves.
"Since the recycling program came into effect, we have yet to send one bag of leaves to the landfill," Carmichael said.
She said the town's program for distributing leaves to farms and other users during the fall diverts about 1,700 tons of leaves a year from the landfill.
As the tons of materials Blacksburg has recycled continue to pile up, Carmichael said the program is only growing more successful every year."
by CNB