Nine percent – I think that was the latest report, last week, on inflation in America. Soon, that number will hit double digits. Everyone is paying more for everything than they bargained for whether at the local grocery store or for the contents in a bevy of boxes we recycle at Keep Alliance Beautiful.
Retail has never been part of my career path. No stocking shelves or working a cash register. I have squarely seen things from the consumer’s point of view. Growing up you see how your parents shop and come to know local business owners in the community. The type and variety of stores in Alliance has changed over the decades. When I was younger than our children are now, I remember people talking about “Five and Dime” stores. This was when Kmart, Alco and Pamida were all new or relatively so. My mom told me about buying things for a nickel or ten cents while she was a kid.
The other day I wondered how much pocket change our recycling center could make if we offered a five and dime option for the materials we gather and give away to the public to reuse. The weights cited when referring to our quarterly volume numbers pertain to what is loaded and shipped. A certain amount of what we collect may be too dirty, items we cannot recycle or just plain trash. However, a small percentage of the materials that come in leave in the hands of people who figured we’d have just what they needed.
KAB accepts about a dozen different categories of materials from plastic and cardboard to electronics – nearly every type is tapped from time to time whether collected for school projects or sought by thrifty/green people stopping by.
One lady included three fans on a recent curbside collection. One was toast, but the other two worked. That afternoon we let people know (via the Facebook page) that slightly dusty window fans were available at the recycling center office. Not a bad deal as afternoon temps flirted with triple digits.
Most of the time, though, people stop by with a specific mission. Boxes for moving are the most common request overall. We always have some on hand and will save a certain size if asked. Associated materials, such as newspapers and bubblewrap also abound if people are interested. We collected a few boxes of colorful bottles for a man who crushed and tumbled the glass. Bags of peanut butter jars went to a local sportsman as a component in his handcrafted hunting decoys.
Other situations follow supply and demand. Spring means gardening supplies. We lend milk jugs and receive ones that likely were cut to shelter tomatoes or peppers. People take big tin cans for the same purpose. Lick tubs on the north side of the building are available for large planters – take as many as you want.
Now in her second year, Cindy Helmink, who operates a greenhouse near Hemingford, has worked with KAB to collect hundreds of drink and yogurt containers initially and recycled bedding plant containers in 2022. A dependable supply from the recycling center has helped reduce costs at the family venture and made for some unique pots.
Helping people on the “reuse” side of the triangle is fun. Yet, the recycling side is more efficient too with the public’s help. Our trailers fill quickly. When full, please take materials to our front door on the south side of the recycling center at 107 ½ Cheyenne Ave., 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Also, there are usually white totes near the trailers for overflow outside of business hours. Large loads of cardboard or bagged recyclables are also easier to process when dropped off at the center.
For information on how to reduce, reuse or recycle call the center at 763-1410 or the office at 762-1729.