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Talking Trash in Coral Ridge, by Tom Balcom
What happens to the contents of your blue recycling bin after it's emptied into the BFI recycling truck? The answer to that question may surprise you. Recently, Russell Kersteng (Facility Manager) and Debra Johnson (Night Supervisor) of the Municipal Recycling Facility (MRF) graciously provided Erick Neuman (Coral Ridge Recycling Team) and myself with a tour of their operation. The information they revealed was quite enlightening and should be provided to the entire Coral Ridge recycling community. The MRF is responsible for all recycling within Broward County.
Did you realize that over 207 tons of newspapers in Broward County are recycled every day? What happens to this material? You will be amazed to discover that the newspaper left in the blue bin on Monday morning may reappear on newsstands by Thursday morning. Approximately 30% of the newspapers recycled in this facility are purchased by Southeast Mills, which is owned by Knight-Ridder. You may not be aware that Knight-Ridder owns the Miami Herald. The remaining 70% is sold to either the Alabama River Mill or the American Chung Nam Company in China.
What about aluminum cans, steel cans, phone books and two liter soda bottles? Between 90-100 tons of these materials are recycled each day in Broward County. You may be surprised to learn that the Anheuser Busch Company purchases the recycled aluminum cans for use in their Budweiser brand products. It's far less expensive for Anheuser Busch to use recycled instead of raw materials in the production of beer cans. The steel cans are sent to the AIG mill where they are reused, as can good containers. It was enlightening to discover that phone books are recycled into insulation while two-liter soda bottles are recycled by Mohawk Industries and used in the production of rugs.
There were many recycling tips provided that should be shared with the community:
- Plastic shopping bags should be recycled at Publix supermarkets
- Ceramic, Pyrex, broken dishes and large 5 gallon water bottles cannot be recycled
- White paper and junk mail also cannot be recycled
- Cardboard (similar to that used in moving boxes) can be recycled if it's broken down into small (12inch*14inch) pieces
- The entire newspaper (including ads) can be recycled
- Newspapers should be kept separate from cans, bottles, etc since they are recycled differently
You can see just how valuable your individual recycling effort is to the community, the country and even the world as evidenced by the shipping of some recycled materials to China. Please remember to take a few extra moments each week to place your recyclable material in the blue bin. If you do not possess a blue recycling bin, please call (954) 828-8000.
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Coral Ridge
Trash Collection Schedule
Black Garbage Cart:
Monday & Thursday
Food wastes
Non-recyclables
Household trash
Yard Waste Cart:
Monday - North of NE 26th St.
Thursday - South of NE 26th St.
Blue Recycling Bin:
Every Thursday
Bulk Trash/Large Yard
Waste:
4th Monday of the
Month
Residents Urged to Join a CRA Committee
Sign up Today For a CRA Committee. We need you! Be a part of a force that makes things happen in Coral Ridge!
Call John Aurelius:
954-772-82222
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