By Michael Howell
Ravalli County Recycling, a non-profit corporation that strives to provide and promote recycling services in the county, is looking for a few good people to volunteer their services at the company’s Stevensville drop off site, a very large bin located at the Burnt Fork Market on the south side of town. The company’s headquarters are located in Hamilton, across from Don’s Home Center at 759 US Highway 93 North. But that facility is only open on Mondays (3 to 6 p.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m. to 12 noon). The Stevensville drop off, on the other hand, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Of course, it’s not staffed 24 hours a day by volunteers. They are only required to show up at reasonable hours. Their job is to walk through the trailer and resort items into the proper bins, and take out anything that doesn’t belong in any bin and cart it over to the dumpster. Ideally, if everyone using the trailer would put the right items in the right slots and refrain from putting in things that can’t be recycled, like some plastics, empty oil containers, pesticide containers, or appliances and other forms of garbage, then no volunteers would even be needed.
Alas, some people either can’t read or don’t care. So right now, according to Janice Lee, Volunteer Coordinator, they could especially use about three people, each volunteering one day a week.
“No experience is required and anyone volunteering will be trained,” she said.
Ravalli County Recycling is not taking scrap metal at either of its locations. They are asking anyone with scrap metal to take it to the for-profit Modern Recycling business on the west side of Hwy 93, north of Sheafman Creek.
The Stevensville drop off is no longer accepting cardboard, either. They also ask that you refrain from putting plastic grocery bags in with the recyclable materials. Just another item the volunteers will have to remove. Other unacceptable items include glass, most plastic containers (except #1 and #2 plastics) and no bubble wrap or styrofoam, alkaline batteries and hazardous materials.
But bring your office paper, magazines, and newspapers, your acceptable plastics, and please, put them in the right slot.
If you want to volunteer call Janice Lee at 390-9895.