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Highlands Today

Wait's Over For Office Paper Recycling

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: October 30, 2007

SEBRING –– Highlands County went "green" when it launched a recycling program back in 1990.

In about a month, the county will be greener, as it begins accepting office paper for recycling.

Residents and businesses have frequently been asking Highlands County Recycling if it can add office paper to the items it accepts, said Christy Reed, recycling program manager.

For the first time in four years, Reed now can answer that it soon will, by late November or early December.

"We plan very soon to add office paper recycling and junk mail recycling to our newspaper recycling program," Reed said Monday. Those items will be accepted as soon as the 22 drop-off recycling bins can be re-labeled, she said.

"We hope that this can start within the next four weeks," Reed added. "We'll be making an announcement."

Reed called adding office paper to the recycling mix "a milestone" toward the recycling program's two goals: preserving natural resources and earning revenue for the county.

"The only challenge to businesses and organizations is that they are going to have to bring it to the bins," Reed said. "We do not have the personnel to go out and pick it up."

New technology acquired by Southeast Paper Recycling has made the recycling of office paper here possible.

Four years ago, Reed explained, the county recycling program stopped accepting office paper because it had to be separated by types and grades of paper.

"The process was more labor intensive," Reed said. "It required more personnel and time" than the county could afford.

Recently, Southeast Paper Recycling, which picks up and processes paper collected by the county, reported that it can accept newspapers, magazines, office paper and junk mail without the need to have them separated here for later processing.

"The company has invested in changing their equipment to handle the co-mingled paper materials," Reed said.

The only paper material that can' t be accepted is envelopes with plastic windows, Reed said.

Meanwhile, the recycling program reported that revenues for the recently completed 2006-07 fiscal year hit an all-time high for the county at $267,380. That's up by more than $84,000 from the 2005-06 revenue of $182,991.

In the past fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, Highlands County Recycling sold 3,352 tons of plastics, aluminum and metal cans, newspapers, magazines and cardboard for recycling. That was an increase of 38 tons from the previous year.

Market prices for recycled goods constantly fluctuate, Reed said, "but they continue to be a great source of revenue."

"The revenue is driven by the markets, but the tonnage (increase) has to be from residents participating more, and kudos to them," Reed said. "It's a great thing that they're doing."

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