North Lakes Recycling Center Temporarily Reopened September 28th As part of a new solid waste management strategy.
The facility is nearly 30 years old and has been in operation since the City of Denton began its recycling program. The recycling site was closed for about six weeks due to the construction of the new North Lakes Tennis Center in the park. With the completion of the parking lot construction, the recycling site is open to the public for a limited time.
The plan is to completely close the North Lakes site sometime in 2023 and replace it with a collection site. The “comprehensive diversion ordinance” will require all homes, apartment complexes and businesses to implement some kind of recycling program at the source, said Brian Boerner, Denton’s director of solid waste. increase. This gives people a place to manage their recycling as it happens, rather than storing it and taking it elsewhere.
“It goes back to education,” said Boehner. “If you are willing to do small things, you can make big strides in reducing your solid waste footprint.”
There has been a long-standing problem of illegal dumping at unmanned recycling bins like those in North Lakes, Bohner said. There is a demand for recycling his deposits in the surrounding areas of the city of Denton, and it is estimated that nearly 60% of those currently using North Lakes are not Denton residents.
“They are from cities other than the city of Denton and know facts as far away as Gainesville,” Boehner said.
Recycling bins installed at the North Lakes Recycling Center on October 26, 2022. Photo credit: Bren McDonald
Another issue addressed by this new plan is the types of materials that are accepted. Denton residents disposal wizard Online helper for the City of Denton website.
“Before we put the restrictor lid and the little hole in the box, we had to throw out a lot of the material that was collected just because people were using it as a trash can,” says Boerner. “We installed some restrictor lids, which gave us better control, so contamination dropped to about 12%.”
The City of Denton has developed a new waste management program in the last two years. A study was conducted on urban waste streams and ways that can be implemented to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
“Landfills are a finite resource. Again, the holes are very large and the amount that can be stuffed is limited, so repurposing as much material as possible is what we want to do. ‘ said Boerner.
of A Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Strategy was drafted for the City of Denton in May and includes an assessment of solid waste best practices, demographics, and financial impacts affecting solid waste systems. We analyze data collected locally, nationally, and globally on solid waste management to develop strategies to help cities divert their solid waste streams.
A major contributor to the solid waste stream is the city’s university. The University of North Texas prides itself on being a clean university. The campus is dotted with large, familiar recycling bins, with signs reminding students to keep track of their trash. Many students also owe this duty to themselves.
“I think [recycling] This is very important because our planet is constantly being polluted by big corporations and ordinary people,” said Mawari Triis Jr., a studio art major. “The impact of recycling on our local environment is immeasurable.”
From recycling to saving water, there are many ways to help the environment in your community. Everything makes a difference.
“I always make a conscious effort to recycle and pick up trash,” said media arts freshman Brendan Rivers. “Just take care of the little things.”
Featured image: The North Lakes Recycling Center sign displayed on October 26, 2022. Photo credit: Bren McDonald
