Talkeetna Recycling Reopens

As the state of Alaska relaxed the mandates surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and services are starting to re-open.  After a two month hiatus, Talkeetna’s recycling center is again accepting recyclable materials.  KTNA’s Colleen Love visited the recycling center on its opening day.

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day came and went this April, almost unnoticed this year, as the state complied with the “Stay at Home” mandate brought on by the coronavirus.  Even local recycling was suspended.  The Borough Transfer Station and the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions Center (VCRS) remained open but Talkeetna Recycling was closed to the public.  Talkeetna Recycling Solutions Chairperson, Cici Schoenberger explains why.

“As a committee, we decided pretty early on that we were just not comfortable with continuing recycling because it does require pretty close contact between volunteer and recycler on the ramp, and at that point in time, sometimes there could be two or three different recyclers on the ramp at the same time as the volunteer.  So we just decided that it really was not a safe thing for us to be doing.”

Recycling re-opened to the public this Saturday with new guidelines.  Cars arrived single file and patrons remained in their vehicles until it was their turn.  It is now expected that recyclers pre-sort their items, and the attendants, clad in face masks and gloves, are only there to help point out the correct bin for the recyclables.   Cici explains that the new guidelines are just a start.

“For the month of May, we are only recycling on Saturdays, for two reasons.  One, we need to sort of figure this out.  Plus, having this traffic flow pattern, we need an extra volunteer and we just don’t have enough.  Some of our people are not comfortable with coming back yet, so I really, really, really need more volunteers.”

I expected long lines when I brought my recyclables.  I’ve been stockpiling them for two months.  But the line moved quickly and efficiently.  Cici relayed that the recycling committee had originally planned to re-open when the rest of the Borough buildings did, but they felt it was important to open earlier.

“You know, everything that goes into recycling reduces the amount that goes into solid waste, into the landfill.  And because VCRS has done so much research and they’ve spent so much time over the last twenty years in getting markets and finding things that are really viable options for recycling.  Most of our recycling is, in fact, recycled.