In the hopes of becoming more self-sufficient with waste resources, the Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative is planning a study to look at the economics and viability of building a new materials-recovery facility in the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District.
The current facility, located outside of Chauncey, is not working efficiently, said Kyle O’Keefe, coordinator of Zero Waste Initiative. With only 4.5 percent of recyclables removed from the total waste generated in the district, O’Keefe said there is room for improvement.
“There are no sorting mechanisms, so everything must be separated at the source of collection,” O’Keefe said. “Some of the equipment at the facility is outdated and obsolete, and there is limited space to store materials, which is a big issue.”
Roger Bail, Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District operations coordinator, said that much of the equipment at the facility was already used when it was purchased.
“The equipment we have is old and it has been there for a long time,” Bail said. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”
The materials recovery facility feasibility study will examine components, costs, and revenues of a new facility that would meet or surpass the state mandates that the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District needs to reach, O’Keefe said.
“Benefits of a more efficient (facility) could include neutralizing cost or producing revenue for the area, creating jobs, better control of costs, and potential recycled feedstock’s for local businesses and entrepreneurs to use.”
The study will also look at the costs of contracting those services to out-of-district operations, O’Keefe said. Currently, 5 percent of recyclables are processed outside the district.
Although a majority of the materials from the city of Athens is processed within the district, the materials from the more rural areas must be sent out of the district to be recycled, Bail said.
“We have recycling roll-off bins that provide an opportunity for the people in more rural areas who don’t have curbside bins to recycle, but we don’t have a way to sort the mixed materials apart, so we have to take it to another facility outside of the district,” Bail said.
But O’Keefe said it would be more self-sufficient for materials to be recycled within the district so they can be reused by local businesses. He added that, although some local businesses use recycled materials, most of them collect the materials themselves.
“When area businesses use local recycled material, it helps to close the loop with resource extraction,” O’Keefe said. “We are therefore more capable of being self-sufficient with our local resources, we reduce our impact on the environment, and we create wealth from waste.”
City administrators estimate that Athens recycles about 25 percent of its waste, but the service provider for residential recycling does not have the capability to track and measure the amounts accurately, O’Keefe said.
“There is a lot of opportunity for the city to improve its recycling,” O’Keefe added. “The current system is not the most conducive to the student population and its turnover.”
Rural Action, which partners with the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University, coordinates the Appalachia Zero Waste Initiative.
OU students are an important piece of the initiative, which has worked with them in public administration, environmental studies, business administration, and communications, said O’Keefe.
“We encourage students from all fields of interest to get involved,” O’Keefe said. “This topic can apply to everyone and it’s a great opportunity for students to get involved with something that could help to reshape the region and improve lives.”
Bail said he is meeting with O’Keefe this week to discuss the next steps to take in the process of building a new facility.
ls114509@ohiou.edu
