There is money in garbage • US firm shares success story in recycling

While islands in the Pacific are finding it hard to cope with their huge volume of garbage, a community-based recycling firm in Colorado has set an example on how to solve the problem — organize a recycling system.

“I don’t see any reason why it cannot happen here. If we did it, you can do it,” said Eric Lombardi, executive director of the company.

It all begun 23 years ago when a social worker started collecting old newspapers to raise funds for a field trip of of a group of juveniles.

The rest is history. Eco-Cycle now employs 50 people with a monthly payroll of $125,000. Last year, Eco-Cycle earned $400,000.

It was a creative stroke that brought the whole community into a recycling activity. Now, the company exports paper to Korea and Taiwan.

“It’s grassroots power in action. That’s how we started and became successful,” said Lombardi. Continuous education campaign in the community also played a major role in the recycling program.

Teaching children how to recycle to protect their environment must be instilled by the older people. Creating new systems in the island may be difficult at first and the slow process of education does not really happen overnight.

In looking at Eco-Cycle as an example, Lombardi said people must also learn from the mistake the company has made. Eco-Cycle charged households with the same amount without giving incentives to their participation in recycling program.

This is the wrong way to entice people to recycle. Households will appreciate that if they recycle more, it will cost them less to dump their garbage, he said. At the same time, recycling must also be made as convenient as possible for the people.

With limited land area, islands in the Pacific cannot go on establishing a landfill, which has also become expensive to build and maintain. In the CNMI, legislators are pushing for the construction of an incinerator to make sure that the planned landfill in Marpi can accommodate the island’s garbage for a long time.

Delyn Kies, solid waste and recycling manager, Harding Lawson Associates, said the government in various Pacific islands can begin working with retailers and wholesalers to take back some products which they bring in such as tires and metals.

Tax credits for businesses can be granted. The Environmental Protection Agency is even providing grants to island governments that plans to carry out recycling programs as an incentive.

In Palau, recycling is also an alien concept. There are no tipping fees due to irregular collection of garbage. In Marshall Island, tipping fee was implemented despite strong opposition from the government in a move to make the people responsible for every garbage that they throw away.