Editor:
To Pershing County commissioners:
I read with excitement about the county moving toward a recycling center in Lovelock. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to believe that finally my cans, plastic, newspaper and glass can soon be recycled locally.
I have hauled my recyclables to Reno every two weeks since I moved to town over 30 years ago, and I know from personal experience I am one of only a few to bother with the "inconvenience."
This inconvenience is what brings me to write to you. I recognize that I am unusual, as most Lovelock residents do not bother to recycle, causing our landfill to be overused. Well over ½ of all consumer waste could be recycled. That means a landfill half the size we have now would meet our needs in the future!
So how does that happen? By making recycling as easy as possible. And that means an in-town center. Will it matter to me? No, just being able to go out to the dump would be fabulous for me, and I will use it regardless of the location, but I recognize that most people will not. To truly encourage recycling, we must make it as easy and convenient as possible.
I hear Mr. Bloyed's, and a few local residents' concerns about a recycling center at the old city yard. However, I believe their concerns are misplaced. As a long time recycler, I have spent a lot of time at the large Waste Management facility in Reno, dropping of my stuff. There is not a smell; remember, this is not garbage, but recyclables. All recyclables are stored in covered bins.
Additionally, I have yet to hear a machine running, and that is in a center servicing a large metropolitan area! For Lovelock, I cannot imaging that baling machines, a crusher, or even the occasional transfer truck would need to be run more than a few minutes a day. Maybe a forklift a little more often.
This could in no way be more noise than the previous city yard dump trucks, EP yard, or even the large equipment from the state for road management.
As a local resident, I fully believe the advantages of an in-town facility outweigh building a new infrastructure, as well as lack of convenience (and lack of use) of an out-of-town structure.
It is time Lovelock joined the 21st century in terms of care for the environment and management of our natural resources!
Deborah Pontius,
Lovelock[[In-content Ad]]
