Medina Co. Doing Its Part to Recycle
Published June, 1999

By Mark Mosgrove

Last month we wrote about how the Medina County Central Processing Facility (or, CPF for short) in Westfield Township is at the forefront in the world in regards to community recycling. This month we talked with William Strazinsky, district solid waste coordinator, about how we can all help in the recycling effort. A few extra seconds of effort on your part can save the county money and increase how much trash is able to be recycled. There are three places you can help:

Recycling at Home:

When you take out the garbage, you can help the CPF reclaim more material to be recycled by doing the following:

1. Remove the caps and rinse out plastic containers (like gallon milk jugs) and crush them.

2. Rinse out vegetable or pop cans before throwing away (it is recommended that cans are NOT crushed). Wad aluminum foil into a 3 to 5 inch ball.

3. Remove the plastic liners out of cardboard boxes. Flatten the boxes.

4. All the above items can be in the same trash bag. Food wastes, however, should be discarded in a separate bag to minimize contamination of the above items (which makes recycling them more difficult or impossible).

5. In a separate bag, collect all your newspaper. Again, this bag is for newspaper ONLY – any inserts in the newspaper, magazines, etc. should be put in the regular garbage bag. It is preferred that you double-bag the newspapers in regular brown grocery bags (in the Primary Sorting Station at the CPF, workers can easily spot the bag of newspaper and pull it out of the stream).

6. Glass should be rinsed out and taken to an Igloo Park or the CPF.

Recycling at the Igloo Parks:

1. Rinse and drain cans, bottles, etc. and put in appropriate igloo.

2. No mirrors, ceramics, flowerpots, crystal drinking glasses, windows or light bulbs are accepted.

3. Igloo Parks are located at Wayside Market in Seville; Miller Brothers and Mack’s Food Center in Lodi; the Human Services parking lot, Hawkins Market, and Plaza 71 in Medina; Great Oaks Lanes parking lot in Wadsworth; the Community Park on Route 301 in Spencer; Gale's Garden Center and L.J. Visintainer in Brunswick; behind the Fire Department in Valley City; the Township Garage in Litchfield; Lafayette Town Hall; Chatham Township Garage; Homer School/Town Hall in Homerville; and also at the CPF in Westfield Township.

Self Hauling to the CPF:

1. Items accepted at the CPF at no charge include: yard waste (either loose or in biodegradable bags), 2-liter pop bottles, milk jugs, cans, newspapers, cardboard (flattened out), glass (brown, green, or clear), lead-acid batteries (from cars, boats, motorcycles, etc.), and used motor oil (5 gallons or less; the resident must certify that it is not contaminated; oil should be brought in one gallon plastic jugs).

2. Bagged trash can be brought to the CPF. The cost is $1.50 per bag and there is a weight limit of 35 pounds per bag.

3. Appliances, furniture, or a load of assorted junk costs you $51.50 per ton. Tires are charged a nominal charge per piece.

4. Household hazardous waste items such as bleach, paint and aerosols must be managed properly and safely. Please call the Medina County Central Processing Facility at 769-1CPF or 1-800 YOUR CPF if you have any questions.

How Much Garbage Did Medina County Recycle in 1998?

Aluminum Cans: 217 tons
Ferrous Cans: 708 tons
Scrap Metal & White Goods: 1,459 tons
Glass (from Igloos): 323 tons
Plastics (#1’s & #2’s): 115 tons
Cardboard: 2,556 tons
Mixed Paper: 1,615 tons
Newspaper: 3,697 tons
Wood: 626 tons
Lead-Acid Batteries: 8 tons
TOTAL: 11,324 TONS

The Spring and Fall collection drives in 1998 netted: 34,120 lbs. of paint, 1,099 tires, 3,860 gal. of oil, 328 lead-acid batteries, 410 phone books and 905 appliances!