ADDITIONS – Wintersville Mayor Mike Petrella and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Polaski, Trash Control Officer, inspect recycling bins placed near the Wintersville Municipal Building recently by the JB Green Team . With the cooperation of village officials, the bins have found a temporary new home at the site but are among many placed throughout the county for the deposit of paper, cardboard, glass bottles, plastic containers and metal cans. –Warren Scott
WINTERSVILLE — From discarded cardboard boxes to old tyres, the JB Green Team wants to prevent a lot of things from being thrown in the trash when they could be reused.
The efforts of the regional recycling program recently received a boost with the cooperation of Wintersville officials who authorized the placement of several bins in the parking lot of the Village Municipal Building on Grove Street.
Specific bins are provided for paper and cardboard, glass bottles, plastic containers and metal cans.
Anita Petrella, the program’s executive director, said when the bins’ old location in Wintersville became unavailable, the Wintersville council allowed their placement there.
But Mayor Mike Petrella, who is also Anita’s son, said the bins will need to be moved this summer because the land will be repaved and the large trucks used to transport the bins are damaging the fresh asphalt.
Anita said that until then, she was looking for permanent housing for them in the village, which is one of several areas in the county that have adopted the recycling program.
Established in 1989, the program is overseen by the Jefferson-Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority, a regional council also known as the JB Green Team.
Anita Petrella said the bins are one of many located in both counties and are only part of the program.
Another aspect concerns the tire collections which will be held at the following sites: at the Wells Township slag yard in front of the Brilliant American Legion, on April 7; the Mount Pleasant Township slag yard at the intersection of State Road 150 and County Road 7 in Dillonvale on April 14; the Salem Township Garage in Richmond on April 21; the Cross Creek Township garage in Wintersville on April 28; the Springfield Township complex in Bergholz on May 5; the Saline Township Complex in Hammondsville on May 12; Knox Township Garage on Township Road 247, May 19; the Island Creek Township garage on State Road 213 on June 2; the Smithfield Township Collection at the intersection of County Road 10 and State Road 152, June 9; the Wayne Township Garage on County Road 26 in Bloomingdale’s on June 16; the Steubenville Township garage in Mingo Junction on June 23; and the Caruso lot on Third Street in Tiltonsville on June 30.
Only standard tires for cars and vans will be accepted.
The JB Green Team will also be holding a household hazardous waste collection in June outside the Fort Steuben Mall, details of which will be announced.
She said many local community cleanups, in which residents place bulky waste with their regular trash or bring it to a designated site, are also supported by grants obtained by the JB Green Team.
The JB Green Team also awards its own grants of $1,000 or $5,000 to local governments, schools, and nonprofits for recycling-related purchases, such as playground equipment or tables. picnics made from reused materials.
Petrella said much of the proceeds from recyclable paper collected from local schools are donated to them.
She added that JB Green Team staff are available to talk to schools and other groups about recycling.
Petrella said the success of any recycling program depends on people being conscientious about what they leave in the bins.
Things that can be left in bins include softcover and hardcover books, with no plastic overwrapping; newspapers, magazines and advertising inserts on glossy paper; cardboard boxes (without styrofoam inserts), egg cartons and paper towel or toilet paper tubes; mail, envelopes and other papers as well as metal boxes and plastic containers, the latter marked on the bottom with a 1 or a 2.
Everyone is asked to rinse containers that have held food first and not to leave grease-soiled pizza boxes to prevent vermin from being attracted to the bins.
Shredded paper is welcome, but individuals are asked to put it in cardboard boxes or paper bags if possible.
Other items also need to be thrown away in paper bags or boxes or in bulk, as plastic bags often get stuck in the machines used to sort them, Petrella said.
She said the dumping of non-recyclable waste is a big problem, as companies that accept recyclable materials often charge a fee, and the JB Green Team has to pay to have large items left in bins dumped in landfills. local.
“And if the bins are full, please come back later”, said Petrella, who added that leaving material outside of them is considered litter.
As the county’s waste control officer, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Polaski periodically visits various recycling bins to check for illegal dumps and has been able to press charges against several individuals responsible.
Shortly after the bins arrived at the Wintersville municipal building, several residents stopped to leave recyclables.
Among them was Terry Retzer, who was among the local residents happy to see them again at a local site.
Retzer said he started recycling a few years ago and keeps large garbage bags in two boxes at home, emptying them into the bins about every two weeks.
He said it’s among many things that can be done to be more environmentally conscious.
In addition to Wintersville, JB Green Team bins are located at multiple locations in Steubenville as well as Adena, Amsterdam, Bergholz, Bloomingdale’s, Brush Creek, Dillonvale, Stratton, Island Creek, Mingo Junction, Mount Pleasant, Richmond, Saline Township, Smithfield, Tiltonsville, Toronto, Wells Township and Yorkville.
For specific locations, see the Jefferson County – Drop Off Location link at https://www.jbgreenteam.org/recycling.