Dear Neighbors

OK – maybe the e-letter title is a little over the top.  Lots of folks have worked very hard to get Anchorage to the point where any recycling at all is available.  Thanks to all of you who’ve helped!

Anchorage is still moving forward, maybe not as quickly as we’d like, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that we can again recycle glass. Maybe I’m the last to know this, but just in case, here’s an update on glass and other expanding local recycling options.

Glass Recycling

Most glass recycling was suspended at the beginning of 2009. I was happy to learn (thanks to my aide Rose Foley) that Target stores are collecting glass in Anchorage! The store has collection containers located along the side of their buildings next to the dumpsters at both the South Anchorage and Muldoon locations.  While glass recycling efforts stopped because of the excessive cost of shipping heavy glass from Anchorage to the Lower 48, Target is able to use empty space on barge container bins that deliver their goods to Anchorage, but would otherwise leave Anchorage nearly empty.  They back-haul the glass to their sorting center in Oregon.  We weren’t able to find any other glass recycling options in Anchorage, so let us know if there are others we missed.

There’s some more good news.  Alaskan’s glass is being put to good use by at least one company in Anchorage.  One local business is using recycled glass to make custom countertops and other surfaces.  The owner reports that they currently have enough supply to meet their needs, but that could change if demand grows.  We’ll let you know if this or other companies begin accepting glass from area residents!

Citywide Recycling

As many of you may already know, there are a few recycling options for other materials in Anchorage, and those are expanding.  Many Anchorage schools and stores accept certain recyclable items.  Click HERE for a map of recycling drop-off sites.

Additionally, the Anchorage Recycling Center at 6161 Rosewood (off Dowling between Old and New Seward) accepts plastic bottles and plastic jugs, newspaper, mixed paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, and steel cans.  You can find a complete list of recyclable items on the Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling’s website.

Curbside recycling at your home is becoming more widely available, and is offered by two different companies depending on where you live.  Alaska Waste provides opt-in curbside recycling for many area neighborhoods.  Solid Waste Services provides garbage collection, and is in the process of expanding its curbside recycling program to more neighborhoods including Fairview.  Solid Waste Services still has some kinks to work out, such as how to service multiplexes and apartment buildings, but we have been advised by them that full implementation is anticipated for fall of 2012.

As always, please let us know if we can help.  I hope you’re enjoying a great Fall.

Best,

And – a goodbye to one of my two great aides.  Allison Holtkamp came to work temporarily for me this summer, and is off to return to her job as an aide to the Senate Finance Committee.  Thanks for all her great work.  Rose, happily for me, is staying.  And soon we’ll welcome our new aide, Toby Smith, who Allison filled in for this summer while he wrapped up work as Executive Director at the Alaska Center for the Environment.