Lack of education, convenience stymie recycling

A person throws away 600 times his body weight in trash during a lifetime.

That amounts to about 90,000 pounds, according to the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning.

Most people know paper, plastic and cardboard should be recycled, but many don't know that pesticides, electronics, batteries, medicine and tires should, too. These are some of the 17 items the nonprofit Product Stewardship Institute says should be recycled.

The Product Stewardship Institute works with state and local governments and agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that everyone involved in the lifecycle of a product shares responsibility for reducing its negative health and environmental effects.

If disposed of improperly, these products can pollute the soil, groundwater, surface water and air. Electronics, for example, leak mercury, lead and other harmful chemicals into the environment. And tests have found pharmaceuticals in large bodies of water throughout the country, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that 35 percent of trash from metropolitan cities was recycled in 2005, up from 10 percent in 1980. However, many recyclables still land in the trash.

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Despite the availability of centers, online information and brochures, some Hillsborough residents such as Leo Sookdeo and Scott Schumacher say they are uneducated about recycling.

Sookdeo, 26, who lives at Blue Rock Apartments in Temple Terrace, grew up in Queens, N.Y., and remembers the culture of recycling there. Recycling options at his apartment are limited, he said.

"Right now there is only one garbage bin at my house," he said. "If there were two, one for recycling and one for garbage, I would do it."

Of the items recommended for recycling, Sookdeo recognized only batteries and electronics as recyclable. Sookdeo moved recently and threw away a CD player, phone chargers and other small electronics because he didn't know where to recycle them.

"When my electronics break, I throw them away because I have no use for them," he said.

Jack Price, with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said it's up to local governments to inform residents and handle dangerous environmental waste.

The Hillsborough County Public Utilities Department encourages residents to go to its website (www.hillsboroughcounty.org/solidwaste) for information about recycling.

Schumacher, 27, said he thinks the reason most people are uninformed is a lack of advertising about recycling products other than paper and plastic.

"I think there are a lot of people out there who want to recycle and do better for the community and environment," Schumacher said. "I think if word got out there, people would use whatever resources were available."

In the meantime, Cory Givens, 21, is burying his recyclables at the bottom of the trash can. Givens knows that certain products need to be recycled. He even knows how and where to recycle.

"I base my recycling on convenience. McKay Bay is by Ybor. I'm not going to go all the way out there to recycle something and then pay for it."

McKay Bay Refuse to Energy Facility, at 112 S. 34th St. in Ybor City, accepts only certain items free; others such as construction debris, household garbage, mixed loads of free and chargeable items, large automotive parts and carpets require a fee.

Both Sookdeo and Givens are from states where recycling is required.

"I would recycle, but I'm lazy, Givens said. "I used to because in Hawaii they would give you money to recycle."

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Private businesses such as Accelerated Waste Solutions are working to give people options. The company goes to apartments and condos to remove junk and clutter, recycling 85 percent of it.

In Hillsborough, 29.4 percent of dwellings are multifamily. Accelerated Waste serves 1,200 apartment/condo residents throughout the state, said Fred Tomlin Jr., the director of business.

"We live in such a society where many items can be recycled," Tomlin said. "With technology, we don't have as many obstacles in letting consumers know about recycling."

Florida mandates only that batteries and tires be recycled.

And that has changed the way some businesses operate.

Twenty years ago, Rick Marco, the owner of Tire World, at 202 W. Hillsborough Ave., had old tires collected with the garbage.

"It wasn't like it is today," Marco said. "We would give them to the garbage truck to pick them up and put them in landfills."

The EPA estimates more than 80 percent of tires are recycled, up 17 percent from 1990. Marco said Tire World recycles about 700 a month.

Silvo Reali, who started Environmental Waste Tire Recycling in 2004 in Tampa,  collects tires from about 200 companies.  The company collects about 19,200 tires a month, which are turned into tire-derived fuel.

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Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful is a nonprofit environmental service organization that works with the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County solid waste departments.

Members make presentations at schools and community organizations about the effect of litter and suggest alternative disposal methods.

"If people would just take a few minutes to think how their actions affect the world around us, especially the person next to us," said Patricia DePlasco.  "Take a minute, think, then act."

Sookdeo and Givens said they would be more likely to recycle if it were easier. For Sookdeo, recycling in Hillsborough is a mystery.

"I think recycling is important because the earth is valuable to me. I grew up recycling and I'm all for recycling. Hillsborough County, in my opinion, should start cracking down on it."