County Employees Now Recycling 65% Of Waste

Potter County’s Building and Grounds Department supervisor, Joe Kurtz, reports that 65 percent of the trash being generated in county offices is now being recycled. This is up from 60 percent at the beginning of the year and represents an all-time high. Recycling is saving the county money – it costs much less to dispose of recyclables – and it’s an environmentally responsible habit. Employees use a “mixed recycling” bin to deposit paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, catalogs, metal cans and more.

Under a contract with Casella Waste Systems Inc., recyclables are trucked to Olean, N.Y., then transported to Geneva, N.Y., where Casella operates a massive separator that segregates the items for sale to various markets. Casella’s mixed recycling program is explained at this website (complete with a video): www.casella.com