02/06/2006: "Recycling is high in Washington"

San Juan County is not the only county that takes recycling seriously. According to a report out of Olympia, recycling by businesses and residents in Washington rose to 42 percent in 2004, up from 38 percent the year before, according to new numbers compiled by the state Department of Ecology (Ecology).

Gains were made primarily in metals, paper and yard-waste recycling.

Ecology officials say this is due to good recycling practices, better resale markets for the materials and more yard-waste collection programs.

The official recycling rate is based on a required definition set forth in state law, which specifies what types of recycling will be tracked for certain types of waste. It includes most recycling of glass, plastic, paper and metals, and some recycling of tires and used oil.

Other types of re-use and recycling are easing the pressure on landfills, even though they are not part of officially counted recycling. They includes land-clearing debris, concrete, carpet and pads, furniture, construction and demolition debris, mattresses, batteries, paint and clothing. Coupled with the officially counted recycled items, the statewide rate for diverted materials would be 48 percent, up from 47 percent in 2003.

"To have almost half of the waste generated in Washington diverted away from landfills is a great success story," said Cullen Stephenson, who manages Ecology's solid-waste program. "It's evidence of responsible waste management by citizens and businesses."
However, he noted, while recycling has increased, the total amount of waste generated has continued to climb. Currently, Washington residents produce an average of 7.5 pounds of waste per person each day, compared to 7 pounds a day in 2003.

"Yes, we are recycling more than ever before, but we're also producing more garbage," said Stephenson. "Despite good efforts to properly take care of waste, we're still putting more into landfills than ever before."

Studies in Washington, Oregon and California show that a large amount of landfill waste is food scraps. Food waste, which can be composted, makes up more than 15 percent of household garbage and paper makes up more than 20 percent of household garbage.

"Two-thirds of the waste going to landfills could be recycled or diverted," Stephenson said. "It is time to move forward in how we think of waste and prevent it from even being created in the first place."

Some additional ways to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills include composting food scraps, avoiding products with unnecessary packaging and recycling or donating the purchased item when finished using it.

A 1989 Washington state law established a statewide recycling goal of 50 percent. The highest annual rate achieved so far was 42 percent in 2004. By contrast, the latest reported national average is 27 percent.