THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 12, 1994 TAG: 9412120086
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SOUTHERN SHORES, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
When vacationers leave the Outer Banks, most don't take the time to stop at recycling drop-off centers.
Many tourists want to help reduce the solid-waste stream. But recycling centers just aren't on their itineraries.
For Southern Shores officials, that problem hit close to home.
So the elected leaders decided to bring recycling centers to people's front doors. They instituted Dare County's first townwide curbside recycling pick-up on Memorial Day. Since then, tons of bottles, cans and newspapers have gotten another life.
The amount of recycled materials has grown by more than 150 percent over the previous year.
Last month, workers collected 18.8 tons of recyclable goods from Southern Shores. In November, 1993, only 5.9 tons of trash were recycled.
Last weekend, 750 of the town's estimated 1,110 year-round households joined in the 6-month-old curbside collection program.
``We wanted to see if people would cooperate if we made recycling easier for them,'' said Diane Henderson, a town council member who has spearheaded Southern Shores' recycling program.
``A lot of our visitors come from New York and New Jersey, where curbside recycling is mandatory. So it seemed we had a good summer population to try a new program with.''
The northernmost incorporated town on the Outer Banks, Southern Shores has about 1,650 permanent residents. In summer months, the population swells by five as vacationers fill rental cottages. A few businesses are located along the main highway.
Southern Shores contracts its regular garbage collection through Dare County's sanitation department.
But the county does not have any curbside recycling programs. Residents - and visitors - must bring their sorted goods to satellite trailers or permanent bin sites.
Except in Southern Shores, where workers sort, remove and recycle almost everything from folks' front yards.
``We contracted with Southeastern Public Service Authority this summer. They're based in Chesapeake, Va., and run a landfill in Smithfield. I knew they were running a curbside recycling program in Chesapeake, so I called them first,'' Henderson said.
``We had a summer contract, which ran through the first three weeks of September for $13,000. Tax dollars paid for that because we couldn't get any grants or outside funding. We're still looking for alternative money sources.''
On Oct. 1, town officials signed a two-year contract with Waste Management of Hampton Roads, which does curbside recycling in Virginia Beach. The maximum annual cost will be $100,000, Henderson said. The town's 1994-95 budget is $1.7 million.
``Curbside recycling is saving us money at the landfill because for every ton we keep out, we don't have to pay the $45.21 tipping fee,'' Henderson said. ``But it's not saving enough to offset the cost of recycling yet. I hope, as it grows, some day it will.''
In the summer, recyclable materials were collected weekly from the 64-gallon plastic containers.
Now, the schedule has been cut back to the first and third Saturdays of each month. Glass, aluminum, newspaper, plastic and steel cans are accepted. Magazines and junk mail have to be taken to a separate site, behind the fire station, the first Saturday each month.
``Some people have complained that they missed the social interaction of the central drop-off site. We don't have a post office, you know, and that was sort of a gathering place. I think, primarily, they were joking,'' Henderson said. ``Most have been very pleased with curbside recycling. It certainly makes the task a lot easier.''
Town Council member Gerald Beshens agreed. ``On recycling pick-up days, I see 90 percent of the people have their bins out and full,'' he said. ``I've been literally amazed at the reception this curbside program has gotten. I hope it will be a model for other towns on the beach.'' by CNB