鈥淩ecycling turns things into other things. Which is like magic.鈥� And if that anonymous quote holds true, then McKean and Elk counties could be considered magical kingdoms, thanks to ongoing recycling efforts.
In 2016, McKean County saw nearly 3,131.08 tons of material being recycled and in Elk County, that number totalled nearly 1,000 tons, and over a two-year period, more than 2 tons of trash and nearly 150 tires have been removed in Potter County, according to local officials.
鈥淭he Conservation District is working to provide easier access to recycling and more ways to dispose of electronic waste and household hazardous waste and tires. This will decrease the number of illegal dump sites,鈥� said McKean County Recycling Director Justin Lund, who is the secretary of PA CleanWays of McKean County.
So far this year, two special household hazardous waste and electronics collections have taken place in McKean County 鈥撯�撀爋ne in the Kane Borough saw 572 pounds of household hazardous waste and 10,669 pounds of electronic waste being collected. The other happened in Smethport, with 5,337 pounds of household hazardous waste and 12,369 pounds of electronic waste being collected. Household hazardous waste includes cleaners, herbicides and pesticides, Lund said.
In 2008, a survey by the PA CleanWays Illegal Dump found that McKean County had 73 dumpsites. Since then, some of those have been eliminated, Lund said. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful found that it costs $614 per ton to clean up an illegal dump site, and on average a community cleanup costs $3,000, he said.
鈥淭he PA CleanWays of McKean County works every year to clean up dump sites. After a site is cleaned, volunteers utilize deterrents to prevent future dumping in the same spot (such as blocking pull offs or installing gates),鈥� Lund
said.
In 2016, cleanups in McKean County, including river and litter, resulted in 39 events; 25,520 pounds being collected; and 581 volunteers participating, he said.
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