The Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency last year recycled almost 5 million pounds of waste that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all about recycling,鈥� education coordinator Chad Reed said. 鈥淎nd we really try to promote it and practice what we preach. We try to encourage people to buy recycled and to keep that process going.鈥�
The agency started its non-profit recycling program in the early 1980s as a pilot program to train those needing job skills. 鈥淎fter five years it became completely self-sufficient,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淲e started out as a buy-back program where we just basically purchased scrap metals and aluminum cans from the public. And that quickly expanded into what we鈥檙e doing now. We take all kinds of different things other than just metals.鈥�
Besides aluminum cans, the list of accepted items includes tin cans, glass bottles and jars, paper and cardboard.
The paper must be able to absorb water, which excludes wax paper and laminated paper. People can also drop off used motor oil, which is then used to heat the recycling center. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 a tremendous help to us,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淚t really helps us with our energy costs tremendously.鈥�
In 2006, the CAA opened the recycling building it now occupies at 1761 E. Main St. It also has 26 drop-off containers throughout Fairfield County. Its funding comes partly from the Coshocton-Fairfield-Licking-Perry Solid Waste District and from the sale of recyclables it collects. 鈥淲e also do a commercial/institutional collection route,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淲e go to businesses, offices, schools, industries, and pick up all different type of recycled materials and bring it back here and process it.鈥�
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