At Lane County's 'Plastics Round-up' Sunday, hundreds of people dropped off jugs, tubs and bottles, grateful for a way to keep packaging out of the landfill. Some locals, however, hope for a better long-term solution.
Dozens of volunteers kept cars moving through four lanes at the Glenwood Transfer Station. People who hadn't separated their items went to a side area. Some, like Brian Haimbach, were a little frustrated:
Haimbach: “This is far too labor intensive for the normal consumer. It's up to the corporations and to our government to require our corporations to put our products in things that aren't going to destroy the planet.”
Haimback struggled to remove a sticker from a jug. Lane County partnered with Denton Plastics, which said it would only take unlabeled plastics numbered 2, 4, or 5. The company turns the material into pellets that are used to make benches, pots and other products. Organizers say if the material meets Denton's standards, they hope to have more plastic round-ups in the future.