New waste collection has been implemented in July, 2002. The closest recycling location for the neighborhood is in the Gables Shopping Center, Main Street, near Coal Bank Hollow Gift Shop. Magazines/catalogues, white paper, and cardboard will not be picked up and must now be taken to one of the Town's new recycling drop off sites. The guidelines for recycling these products have not changed.

Magazines/catalogues. Glossy and slick textured paper only. You do not have to remove stitching or staples. The Town cannot accept items with a mixture of glossy/non glossy paper such as Readers Digest, TV Guide, telephone books, and similar items. Telephone books are collected seasonally.

White paper. White computer, typing, envelopes (with and without windows), and copier paper are acceptable. Get it right! White and Light! See the Town brochure for more details.

Corrugated Cardboard. Cardboard must be flattened to fit through the slot in the collection container. We cannot accept shoe-boxes or food container boxes.

Other recycling, drop-off sites are at the Blacksburg Community Center, 725 Patrick Henry Drive and the Montgomery County consolidated refuse and recycling sites. There may be other locations later.

Mr. Paul Cool is the Town Recycling Coordinator (recycle@bev.net or 540-961-1806)

Of all aspects of Town planning, waste disposal and recycling is best addressed at the regional and Town scale, not at the neighborhood scale. Nevertheless, there are many aspects of this large, diverse and costly problem that can be treated within the neighborhood. It is our plan to attempt to do so.

Citizens have become aware of solid waste disposal problems. They have read many of the wise "sayings" about solid waste and access to more information that many are inspired to read and contact are now available on the Web.

Objectives

The objectives of the Waste and Recycling component of the Plan Supplement are:

1. To minimize solid waste generated per unit time.
2. To minimize litter.
3. To maximize recycling of solid waste.
4. To minimize secondary undesirable effects of solid waste disposal.
5. To maximize public returns from solid waste recycling or use.
6. To minimize the area required for solid waste disposal.
7. To maximize solid waste separation at the source.
8. To maximize use of sewer plant and liquid chemical wastes.
9. To minimize storm sewer runoff.
10. To maximize the amount of sewer water from the community undergoing tertiary treatment.

Planned Actions

To achieve Objective 1 - To minimize solid waste generated per unit time.

We plan to invite members of the Town waste and recycling group(s) to make a presentation to the neighborhood group on the topic.

We plan to have a presentation from the university's waste and recycling coordinator, Mr.. Larry Bechtell, 511 Fairview St.

We plan to publish and distribute a brochure (and place it on the web along with relevant links to other related web sites) describing practical ways citizens can reduce solid waste generated.

We plan to cooperate in waste recovery programs such as yard waste and tree trimming mulch recovery. Citizens may call the waste and recycling program staff for guidelines (961-1806 or http://www.Blacksburg.va.us).

We plan to request that the Town obtain and graph on the web the approximate solid waste weight produced quarterly from within the neighborhood (and necessary relevant nearby collection routes). We wish to compare average per capita waste disposal from the town with that of the neighborhood and relevant nearby area (as required to minimize data collection costs).

To achieve Objective 2 - To minimize litter.

We plan

1. to devise a "Litter-Free score" and conduct a walking-driving neighborhood tour every month to record litter observed, compute a score, and place the results on the web and within the Current Plan.
2. to form a small committee to suggest techniques and programs for the school, local area, and roadways (e.g., work with "adopt-a-roadway", garden clubs, Virginia Department of Transportation, university volunteer groups, and others)
3. to request anti-litter signs (changing every 4 months) be placed around the neighborhood and on Airport road for people in autos and trucks
4. to prepare letters and notices for the local news and Town documents requesting citizen attention to reducing litter and to making improvements in the Litter-Free Score of the neighborhood.

Within the 1996 plan was:

Expand the children's show on WTOB to include crafts from recyclables. (Solid Waste Management Obj. A) ............TM

To achieve Objective 3 - To maximize recycling of solid waste.

We plan to seek advice from the Town and university solid waste experts.

We plan to place on the web a site where items no longer needed by neighbors can be "advertised" as being available.

We plan to support by letter or other presentations local and regional efforts in solid waste disposal.

To achieve Objective 4 -To minimize secondary undesirable effects of solid waste disposal.

We plan to obtain a paper describing such effects and place it on the web with links for citizens.

We plan to communicate with the Solid Waste Authority our views about and support for cost effective operations of waste disposal facilities.

To achieve Objective 5 - To maximize public returns from solid waste recycling or use.

We plan to inquire about the disposition of energy and financial returns from solid waste recycling or use and to support or encourage revisions in such returns, especially as they may be related to the neighborhood and movement of such wastes through the neighborhood.

We shall seek ways that leaves and other organics can be used to improve the landscaping within the neighborhood as well as improve the water budget, reduce erosion, and improve dust control.

To achieve Objective 6 - To minimize the area required for solid waste disposal.

Generally out of control by the neighborhood, area covered is a waste site parameter and influences the rate at which the landfill and other facilities must be replaced. We plan to seek a way to relate readily the volume and area covered to the solid weight being disposed by the neighborhood and by the town.

We plan to discover the planned rate of fill of current waste storage areas and to present the consequences for the neighborhood and the Town.

To achieve Objective 7 - To maximize solid waste separation at the source.

We plan to collect information on bottle and paper collections, plot it for the neighborhood, and develop a score for such action, and present the score in the Current Plan Supplement.

We plan to support such collection and seek ways by which recycling might benefit the neighborhood financially.

We plan to study the feasibility of a modern leaf composting activity built at the edge of the airport, how it might benefit the neighborhood, and how a neighborhood authority might be created to develop it and related neighborhood enhancement opportunities.

To achieve Objective 8 - To maximize use of sewer plant and liquid chemical wastes.

We plan to inquire about the availability of such wastes to the community, the potential uses (e.g., park and lawn improvement, erosion control) and the consequences of such use in this neighborhood. We will report the finding for the Current Plan Supplement.

To achieve Objective 9 - To minimize storm sewer runoff.

We plan to create images (on the web and in publications) of the neighborhood within its watershed.

We plan to obtain information and maps on the destination of our neighborhood storm runoff.

We plan to obtain runoff and erosion models for the neighborhood and to present 3-5 scenarios of land use changes (e.g., in relation to probable runoff in 1940, 1990) and those effects on runoff and erosion throughout the Town, county, and region. (changes imagined e.g., improved roads, storm water control below Beeks, Hubbard Street extension, Country Club Drive Extension, buildings below Porter Street).

To achieve Objective 10 - To maximize the amount of sewer water from the community undergoing tertiary treatment.

We plan to obtain a letter or report describing the treatment of waste water from within the neighborhood. As appropriate, we shall advocate and support relevant individuals and groups in achieving this objective.

As with other section of the Plan Supplement, feedback is desired, both to revise and improve the statements and to prepare for their implementations. Improving the objectives will hasten developing models to allow tradeoffs to be made well within the neighborhood.

The home page of the university's waste and recycling coordinator is available.