Dixie Robinson has a good, sound idea for the holidays — recycle all that you can.
Robinson is a Goshen City Council member and in Monday’s edition she urged local residents to recycle the extra waste they produce during the holidays. And there is a lot of waste produced.
In our news story we cited a study that found an extra million tons of waste is generated each week in the United States between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. We think that with just a minimal effort, a lot of that waste can be diverted from local landfills and put back into the manufacturing stream, thus reducing the amount of original raw materials needed for producing goods.
Elkhart County residents are already doing a pretty good job of recycling their waste, according to Tim Neese, director of the Elkhart County Solid Waste District. He said about 50 percent of households in the county are recycling some items. So, we already have a good, sound base of environmental ethics in Elkhart County that we can build on to boost that percentage.
Christmas is the perfect time to commit to recycling. After all the presents are unwrapped and gifts are removed from their packages, families should take a look around their Christmas tree and consider all the paper, plastic and cardboard boxes that is destined for the county’s landfill. We think a brief investigation will reveal that some of the material can be recycled, and should be.
It make no sense to keep trucking tons and tons of recyclable waste to the county landfill. If you haven’t noticed, the landfill has been transformed from a hole in the ground to a mound that is becoming a very noticeable landmark. Without our local recycling effort, that mound would quickly become a mountain.
As Robinson pointed out, it is very easy to recycle. Simply acquire (or recycle existing boxes or trash cans) bins to collect cardboard, aluminum cans, plastics and glass jars, magazines and newspapers. Then, when they are full, take the containers to one of the many recycling sites in Elkhart County.
We hope that local families will start a new tradition this holiday season of reducing the environmental impact of their gift-giving. By beginning a recycling program this year, families will be creating an inter-generational gift that will have a positive impact on their own lives, and the lives of others for years to come.
Editor’s note: Elkhart County recycling center locations and lists of materials that can be recycled can be found online at http://www.elkhartcountyindiana.com/departments/wastemanagement/recyclingsites.htm
Opinion
Families can create a new holiday tradition
- Opinion
-
-
Like it or not, Sheriff is going to speak freely
Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers has taken heat the past couple weeks after he commented during a political rally in downtown South Bend that he would not enforce proposed future gun-control legislation within his jurisdiction.
-
Goshen neighborhood stands together on north side
Sometimes a news photographer is at the optimum location at exactly the right time. Goshen News staffer Sam Householder was in such a spot Wednesday.
-
We just can’t thank our moms enough
The purpose of this editorial is quite simple. We just want to say, “Thanks, mom.” And by “mom” we mean all of the great mothers in our community who have gone above and beyond to lead the way in the development of their children.
-
Letter carriers help to Stamp Out Hunger
There’s still time to help someone you probably don’t know.
-
Farmers are positive this will be the year
Farmers and Cub fans have something in common. They are eternally positive and expect a better season next year.
-
It's time to spruce up the Maple City
This is the season and today is the day, finally.
-
Smooth sailing for this year’s regular session
The final gavel has fallen on the 2013 regular session of Indiana’s General Assembly. During the 14-week session, our lawmakers passed nearly 300 pieces of legislation, including the state’s $30 billion biennial budget that contains the largest tax cut in state history.
-
Palm Sunday tornadoes a reminder of sudden danger
It was a beautiful day, most people around these parts who can remember will tell you. It was one of those near-perfect, early spring days, they would likely say, a stark contrast to what early evening would bring on April 11, 1965.
Yes, the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965, is still very vivid in our local history five decades later. Those were days before Doppler Radar, 24-7 cable television, countywide siren warning systems and even seatbelts in most cars. So, when afternoon turned to early evening, many local residents had little or no warning that killer tornadoes were nearly on top of them. -
Graduation is always a great achievement
While many of us have been waiting patiently – some not so patiently – for spring to finally show up in Northern Indiana, students throughout the area have been busy working on term papers, taking tests and ordering caps and gowns.
-
Carl Weaver has inspired many at GHS
Goshen High School teacher Carl Weaver has created one of the most successful science program in the United States, and we, on behalf of the thousands of students who have experienced the program, thank him.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
