RECYCLING: OFFICIALS SENSE `POSITIVE ATTITUDES'

Henry and Anne Spratt have been waiting for the recycling program in Cape Girardeau.

"We moved here from New Jersey three years ago," said Henry Spratt. "We were ardent recyclers there. In fact, if you didn't separate your trash, it wouldn't be picked up."

Spratt, a faculty member at Southeast Missouri State University and a member of the Trail of Tears Sierra Club, was on hand at the city's new recycling center Saturday as a volunteer during a six-hour open house. The program was aimed at explaining recycling.

"We've been stashing newspapers, plastic bottles and glass in our basement since we moved here," said Spratt. "We recently started bringing the recyclable materials to the center. We'll still have a lot of material once the curbside pickup program starts."

Cape Girardeau residents will be asked to cooperate in a curbside pickup recycling program starting Oct. 1.

"That's the reason for the open house here Saturday," said Glenda Quinn, recycling chairperson for the Cape County League of Women Voters, which sponsored the event. "We wanted to explain to people just what we're trying to accomplish."

Like the Spratts, Quinn is an avid supporter of the recycling program.

"A lot of people visited the center Saturday," said Quinn. "They've been bringing in paper, glass and plastic. We've had a good response."

Quinn explained that caps and lids had to be removed from the plastic containers and glass jars, and that "slick" inserts were removed from newspapers.

No slick paper is being accepted at the center at this time, and discarded cardboard boxes should be flat, said Quinn.

"We have had tremendous cooperation from several businesses in establishing the recycling center here," said Quinn. "Companies like Wahlco, Elfrink, SEMO Box, Spartech, Trimline, AAL, McDonald Concrete, Pepsi Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Forklift of Cape have all provided the new center with various pieces of equipment, ranging from forklifts to plastic shredders and paper bailers to a truck to be used for picking up recyclable items."

Among the visitors to the new recycling center, located at 120 N. Broadview, on the former Stovall Block Co. property which was recently purchased by the city, were Chris Berge and her 10-year-old daughter, Andrea. They brought newspaper and glass to the center.

"This is a great idea," said Berge. "I'm glad the city is going to the curbside pickup program. They're making it so simple it's easy to take part in the program."

Marie Todd and Marilyn Ritter agree.

Both were volunteers during the open house Saturday, and both came loaded with various recyclable products from their homes.

"I'm glad to see the program at this stage," said Todd. "We'll be glad to see the curbside pickup start."

Doug Kaminskey, environmental services coordinator for the city, said the program would be voluntary, "but we're hoping for good participation by the city's residents.

"We're hoping for at least 35 to 40 percent participation," he said. "During a recent pilot project, participation has been greater than that."

The pilot project, which will continue through September then be merged into the overall city program, involves about 400 families in two areas in the city.

When the curbside recycling pickup starts Oct. 1, the city will continue to provide twice-a-week pickup, but one of those days will be designated for recyclable items only. Meanwhile, people can now take recyclables to the center, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"We have markets for glass, plastic, newspaper and cardboard now," said Kaminskey. "Hopefully in the near future, we'll have a place to take tires and batteries."

He was referring to an announce~ment last week that a new manufacturing plant which recycles such materials as tires and batteries would locate in Cape Girardeau.

"We're not taking tires and batteries now," said Kaminskey. "But, we may work something out with the new company."

Also on hand at the Saturday open house was Cape Girardeau Public Works Director Doug Leslie.

"We're pleased with the positive attitude that we've been seeing," said Leslie. "We're looking forward to getting the curbside program going."

Leslie said the idea of using a "beverage truck" for picking up the recyclable items was a good one.

"There are five compartments on each side of the truck," said Leslie. "This will give us the opportunity to separate the items as they are picked up."

Leslie said the city had two of the trucks.

"We purchased a used beverage truck, and Pepsi Cola donated one to the city," he said.