By JOHN E. WEARE
KAB
“Go Big Blue!” shout the cheerleaders and student section as the crowd rises during home football games. Look for Bulldog blue downtown too this autumn as Keep Alliance Beautiful and the City of Alliance debut a set of new recycling receptacles.
About a dozen 40-gallon recycling containers will be placed downtown in the coming days. The blue ribbed design is similar to the style of the trash cans that have been along the bricks for years. Clearly marked with graphics of each, the containers will be for aluminum cans, plastic bottles and paperboard cups. From several years helping KAB cleanup downtown during Heritage Days it seems these items are among those found most often in the trash.
Offering a green option downtown has been a goal of mine since I began working at the recycling center. After being promoted to recycling coordinator, I asked the previous city manager about the possibility of providing containers. The threshold at the time was public demand. Since nobody (outside of KAB) directly approached the City asking for recycling along lower Box Butte Avenue it was not a priority. This year, working with City Manager J.D. Cox, KAB bought the containers and asked for funding reimbursement from City Council. Benefitting from municipal support, KAB will service the containers.
Public recycling containers are a barometer of a community’s environmental attitude. Whenever I travel I take note of how widespread the containers are, their style and the range of recycling accepted. A city with lots of receptacles along the sidewalks tends to feature restaurants and other businesses that also have their own bins for patrons.
The opposite is also true. I have spoken to people on a number of occasions that had no idea you could recycle in Alliance. That is understandable since our recycling center does not stand out as people drive through town on East Third Street (Highway 2). The trailers that were located along that street in the Alliance Plaza parking lot have been by the center for years – better for logistics, not visibility. There have been no receptacles downtown, yet the repurposed IBC totes (usually out of sight in alleys) serve dozens of businesses in Alliance and Box Butte County.
I am excited to show residents and visitors alike that there is a new option to recycle. Convenience is often touted as the reason people make a decision. The blue containers will offer an easy option alongside the brown containers. Walking down the sidewalk and you’ve drunk that last sip? Simply toss the can into the blue lid. The three materials on the label won’t account for everything currently in the trashcans though it could make a significant difference if aluminum, plastic and paperboard containers hitch a ride in the new receptacles’ bags to the recycling center.
Downtown is the next front for increasing local recycling rates and diverting more waste from the landfill, along with a joint KAB, City pilot curbside program that requires sorting. I encourage more families and businesses to recycle. Businesses, and other entities such as churches and non-profits, can use an IBC container for free or simply call to have materials picked up. For information call 308-762-1729 or email KAB at keepalliancebeautiful@gmail.com