Fairbanks Recycling Task Force report

The Recycling Task Force's Report to the Mayor has been completed, and was submitted to the borough mayor, Jim Whitaker, on December 30. The report is only eight pages long, but has a solid list of recommendations in five categories, along with thirteen principles. The principles include identifying stakeholders (all of us) and creating a Recycling Commission, enlisting political support and getting a budget, commencing a marketing campaign, developing a business plan, using source separation, promoting partnerships, and so forth.

Categories:

1. Stakeholders
2. Recyclable materials
3. Education
4. Logistics
5. Business/Financial plan

Here's the link (PDF) to the report, at Recycle Fairbanks.

Recycling at the Tanana Valley State Fair

Interior Alaska Green Star is partnering with the Tanana Valley State Fair, Wal-Mart, K&K Recycling, and SCAN Fairbanks to coordinate recycling of beverage containers (plastic and aluminum) at the fair in August, according to an alert sent out by Andrea Miller recently. Here's a copy of Interior Green Star's solicitation:

Are you tired of seeing recyclable items like aluminum cans and plastic bottles get thrown away? Would you like to know that aluminum and plastic are properly disposed of and NOT filling up the precious space we have left in our local landfill? You can make a difference this August but volunteering at the Tanana Valley State Fair. This year at the Tanana Valley State Fair several businesses and community organizations are teaming up to recycle plastic and aluminum during the Fair. To make this a successful effort we need a volunteer team to empty aluminum and plastic recycling containers on the fair grounds and take the bags to the dumpsters located at the back of the fair grounds. This is a large effort lasting 9 days which means we need at least 135 volunteers starting August 1st through August 9th.

Time: 3:00pm to 10:00pm (open until 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday)

Shifts: 3:00-6:00pm; 6:00-8:00pm; 8:00-10:00pm (August 1-2 and August 8-9 Friday/Saturday last shift of the day is 8:00-11:00pm)

Materials provided: gloves, wagons and plastic bags.

We will need your name as early as possible to provide you with a day pass to the fair on the day of your shift. Please respond to Darcie Warden at 978-9889 or darcie@iagreenstar.org.

Recycling groups meet!

The Fairbanks Recycling Task Force next meets at the FNSB Assembly Chambers on Friday, January 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.

The Sustainable Community Round Table will meet on Sunday, January 13 from 1 to 6 pm at UAF in Gruening Building room 208 (that's in the basement). Parking is free on the weekends, remember. The discussion will be based on the Natural Step for Communities.

The borough will be hosting a recycling round table at the Wood Center Ballroom on February 2, from 1 to 4 pm for a community-wide discussion on recycling in the borough. The Recycling Task Force has started a blog at Recycle Fairbanks.