REBECCA CARRASCO

CONVENT – If you are not recycling, a current television commercial reminds us, you are throwing it all away. Residents of St. James Parish seem to be throwing away less of it than they did a decade ago. Last month, the St. James Parish Council conducted a public hearing in Vacherie on the parishwide recycling program. At that meeting, Director of Operations Jody Chenier and the district manager from Waste Management of South Louisiana, Brian Brining, presented the 2000 year-end report on recycling collections. The report showed that last year’s landfill of 8,138 tons represented a 24.76 percent reduction from the base year which is 1989’s figure of 10,816 tons. One reason why there is less need for landfill is that more people are recycling. There is a 30 to 40 percentage participation rate in the parish, that is a stable rate at present but it can vary. The tire drop-off and pick-up system continues to be heavily utilized by parish businesses and residents, according to Chenier. “The collection of tires, white goods and yard waste, free of tipping fee charges, continues to be heavily used by parish residents, reducing waste into area landfills,” he said. Curb-side recycling of glass, plastic, aluminum, and newsprint amounted to nearly 528 tons of material that did not have to be buried in the Woodside Landfill Facility. Recycled white goods from the Southern Scrap Co. accounted for almost another 186 tons. In addition nearly 1,400 tires were recycled, though that is less than a third of the previous year’s 4,800 tires. Recycling is not free. Last year, recycling costs amounted to $224 per ton, as against a cost of $147 per ton for solid waste collection and disposal. But the more people make use of their recycling options, the more cost effective they become. “People are paying for it anyway,” said Chenier, “and if you are not recycling you are still paying the contractor. True, recycling costs a little more than disposal, but it is the right thing to do.” Anyone who wishes to utilize the parish’s curbside recycling should contact either the Parish President’s Office or Waste Management, Chenier added.