Recycling at The Lake
by Jenny Nelson
Philosophically, most Americans support recycling efforts, but the process at Lake Tahoe is often not an easy one. Extreme winter weather and local wildlife are just a few of the obstacles that make the taking out of any trash a hassle up here. This holds especially true for vacation home renters or second homeowners whose visits don't always fall on trash pick-up day.
Due to state lines and differing community policies, the recycling process differs greatly around The Lake. For instance, Incline Village residents can separate their recyclables into crates that are picked up from their driveways, while just a few miles away on the California North Shore, the Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal (TTSD) offers a "blue bag" service for recyclables. And for residents who prefer to separate bottles, cans and paper themselves, there are over nine drop-off facilities around The Lake.
The state of Nevada has no laws or regulations requiring recycling, but counties are mandated to offer some recycling programs based on their populations. California, on the other hand, has a redemption program and mandates that 50 percent of all solid waste generated by the community be recycled (although the mandate is flexible, stipulating "best efforts"). To accomplish this, Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) located near Truckee and in South Lake Tahoe have long conveyor belts where workers separate recyclables from general trash.
North Tahoe's TTSD believes that its blue bag program is the most efficient way to increase recycling percentages. The disposal company does not charge customers for picking up any recyclables contained in transparent, blue bags .
"We specifically use the blue bags because you can see right away if there are recyclables in it," says TTSD Manager Jeff Collins. Due to the large percentage of second homes in North Tahoe, getting everyone to participate in the blue bag program has been difficult.
Other disposal companies are not sold on the blue bag concept, however. "We don't currently use the blue bags because we don't want to pass on that cost to residents," says Jeanne Lear, a manager at the South Tahoe Refuse Center, which serves all of South Shore. The blue bags do cost marginally more than the basic-black version and are more difficult to find. On the other hand, that cost is balanced against the savings a homeowner can realize with TTSD if, by using the blue bags, they can drop from a two-can to a one-can rate.
In relatively compact Incline Village, residents can use a crate system of recycling, picked up curbside. Sarah Tone, Incline Village-Crystal Bay Waste Not resource conservationist, admits that the crates do fill up with snow in winter. "We still get out there and pick them up," she says.
Tone encourages residents to "sort well and crush your cans. It really helps makes recycling more efficient." Take an extra few seconds to take the bottle caps off of all plastic bottles—at the Truckee MRF recently, a bulldozer ran over a capped Gatorade bottle and exploded it across the facility.
If you have youngsters who complain about taking out the trash, why not send them on a field trip to your local MRF, or better yet, sign them up as a volunteer MRF "picker" for the day.
No one can deny the importance of recycling in a country where landfills are quickly above filling. Contact one of the agencies to the above left to learn more.
Bently Agrowdynamics, Minden (775) 783-8927
California Recycling Hotline 1-800-RECYCLE
Full Circle Compost, Minden (775) 782-5305
Incline Village Waste Not (775) 831-8603
Nevada Recycling Hotline 1-800-597-5865
South Tahoe Refuse Co., Inc. (530) 542- 8366
Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal Company (530) 583-0148
Truckee Materials Recovery Facility (530) 587-4235