Recycling off the road system poses unique challenges; material usually needs to travel out of communities and to recycling centers via barge. But Dillingham’s Friends of The Landfill, a volunteer group, is collecting electronic waste and aluminum, keeping these materials from damaging our ecosystem. Last year they sent more than 60,000 pounds of waste to recycling facilities. KDLG’s Christina McDermott sat down with members Paul Liedberg and Susan Flensburg to learn more about the effort.
Paul Liedberg: I'm Paul Liedberg. I chair the committee called Friends of the Landfill.
Susan Flensburg: My name is Susan Flensburg. And I've been a member of the Friends of Landfill since inception.
Christina McDermott: You guys sent me details on some of the recycling initiatives and projects you've been doing recently.
Liedberg: We have had some success. You know, there's challenges obviously, out at the landfill. Any community has challenges with their solid waste. But in our efforts, in the Friends of the Landfill efforts, to divert some things from the landfill, just last year, we were able, with the help of our partners, to send out 52,000 pounds of electronic waste that would have otherwise gone into the landfill.
That got sent out to Seattle where it was re-processed and recycled. We sent out 900 pounds of fluorescent tubes. Fluorescent tubes can't be recycled, but they can be processed in a much safer way than being deposited in the landfill.
We sent out, totally through the efforts of the Curyung Tribe, 15,000 pounds of net web that was turned in by fishermen. That went out to be recycled. And then on aluminum cans, the project that Sue really heads up, we sent out about 10,000 pounds of aluminum last year. That can be recycled and provides even a little revenue.
Flensburg: I just wanted to add one thing to the electronic waste recycling effort. As Paul said, it's all been volunteer. There's also computers and the screens. And the one thing to keep in mind about the monitors [is] they have mercury and all the more reason to keep them out of the landfill.
McDermott: So mercury - how does that affect the soil? Is it a contaminant essentially?
Flensburg: Mercury is a contaminant and you don't want to get it into the ground or have any humans or animals – birds, etc. – subject to that, because it's certainly not healthy. That's always been a high priority for many landfills with respect to electronic waste, as well.
McDermott: Paul mentioned that you were running the aluminum project.
Flensburg: Yeah! So as a matter of fact, Paul and my husband Oscar Flensburg, we just fixed the can crusher. It's a massive unit that's housed at the garage at the Senior Center. It's 50+ years old and it still functions. So that's very much a volunteer effort, and people have been very receptive about donating their time. We tried to keep the bags of aluminum cans to a minimum, and they go into the aluminum can crusher. And it's surprising how many cans constitute what's called a crushed cube. We try and do that several hours every two, three weeks.
McDermott: You mentioned that it generates even a little revenue. How does that work?
Flensburg: The cleaner the cans are the better. You don't want paper, you don't want aluminum foil, steel cans, other little pieces of rubbish. Just to backtrack a little bit, several years ago we did a lot of public outreach. So there's definitely been an improvement with respect to having cleaner cans. And so we sort through that. And they're stashed on pallet boards. Once we get – I think right now we have close to six pallet boards. And we can get nine pallet boards into a container van. We're assuming that Alaska Marine Lines, AML, will donate a van again, ship at no cost, and it goes to Seattle – an iron metal corporation. What was shipped out last August brought in a little over $5000.
McDermott: Wow, that's very cool! So I'm assuming that the Friends of the Landfill aren't around digging stuff out of the trash to recycle. Or maybe you are. So are people bringing the cans and the tech waste to you?
Liedberg: There's a couple of places. The senior center has a receptacle outside of their garage that people deposit aluminum cans – bagged aluminum cans. I think most people know about that but if they don't, I'll just bring that to their attention – that they can deposit their aluminum cans. It's obvious where they go out there. The electronics [are] collected out at the landfill. And [there are a] couple vans there that individuals can put their electronics in. The net web, the Tribe really coordinates. They’re handling that and collecting that either at the harbor or at their office here.
McDermott: So if I wanted to recycle my aluminum cans, which I've actually been wondering about because I've only been here three months, I'm going to that receptacle at the senior center?
Liedberg: Correct.
McDermott: Okay. Anything else you guys would like to add, or just have known?
Liedberg: Again, I would just reiterate that it's the partners and the volunteers that really make it work and it's no different than most other communities. Everybody has to participate a little bit.
Liedberg and Flensburg both said their community partners and volunteers are instrumental to the efforts – that includes the Curyung Tribe, the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation and the Bristol Bay Native Association. The Friends of the Landfill meets every last Friday of the month. If you have any questions contact Paul at 907-843-1898.
Get in touch with the author at christina@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
