TERRE HAUTE —
Thousands of people move to Terre Haute each year for school and work. Some move from communities where recycling is a part of life. Some say moving to a community where you have to go out of your way to do what is right sends the wrong message.
“When I moved to Terre Haute from Pennsylvania I was shocked that a community as large as The Village Quarter did not have recycling,” Village Quarter resident Nicole Bailey said.
Many communities across the United States offer curb-side recycling for free, or it is calculated into their property tax bills. Having to drive somewhere to drop off recyclable items can be discouraging.
“I suppose I had gotten spoiled by the fact that recycling is both prevalent and easy in Pennsylvania, but the idea of having to drive to Indiana State University just to get rid of my moving boxes seemed outlandish,” Bailey said.
Nicole will no longer have to be inconvenienced when it comes to recycling. Management at The Village Quarter has replaced two of their Dumpsters with Dumpsters for recycling only.
“With several resident requests and inquiries about recycling we felt the need to check into affordable options for our residents. Also, we are trying to help the environment. Every little bit helps,” Village Quarter manager Tammi Spence said.
“I think the change at The Village Quarter is a small step in the right direction. I sincerely hope people will take advantage of the new recycling options,” Bailey said.
I would like to think people choose to live in a community they find comfort in. Comfort can come from shared values, style and environment.
“I believe that they can see that we care about our residents and what they desire as well as helping the environment,” Spence said.
“When a community gets serious about disposing of waste in a responsible way, it shows that its members have a great deal of respect for their homes. We should take pride in our community and taking steps to ensure a clean, sustainable future for Terre Haute is a great way to show we care,” Bailey said.
It is not always easy going green
After the recycling Dumpsters were installed, The Village Quarter posted flyers on every tenant’s door alerting them to the recycling Dumpsters on site. The residents were also informed on what items could be co-mingled and which ones could not.
“Now I only need to bring recyclable glass to ISU, which makes the trip much more manageable,” resident Jennie Carr said.
With two recycling Dumpsters on site, the management at the Village Quarter has to plan around two waste schedules.
“It involves a little more time for our people with recycle pick up days being on different days than trash. However, some of the other things we have instituted have saved us time and money,” Spencer said.
Those other things are:
• Receipts from payments taken over the phone will no longer be mailed out, saving envelopes and postage. Residents will now have to pick up their receipt in the main office.
• Management is encouraging their residents to put energy efficient light bulbs in their apartments.
• Management encourages residents to donate unwanted goods from their apartments to places like Goodwill before moving out.
• Management is working on establishing an unwanted goods donation day during the busiest time for move outs.
The program has been in place for more than a month now, and they are still finding some residents dumping trash in the recycling Dumpsters. But the positive feedback they are receiving from their residents has been worth the change.
“Several of our residents have given us positive feedback. We haven’t heard any complaints. Residents have stated it is saving them time and money not having to drive 15 minutes to recycle elsewhere,” Spense said.
“I think that adding the recycling units at The Village Quarter is an excellent idea, and may motivate those unwilling to drive to the ISU recycling center to participate in recycling,” resident Michael Gerringer said.
“I think this says good things about The Village Quarter and that they are making an effort to please its tenants and do what is environmentally responsible,” Carr said.
“Recycling really is a simple step that every person and community can take without much hassle. I hope other complexes and neighborhoods will follow The Village Quarter’s lead and make recycling available to residents,” Bailey said.
The economic benefits
The Village Quarter trading out two Dumpsters for recycling Dumpsters did not cost them any additional money. In fact, an initial outlook shows it may save money. Officials at Republic Services say their recycling program has been expanding to meet their customer’s needs over the past five years and looks poised to continue to expand.
“The obvious benefits are to deter any items out of the waste stream that can be put back into post consumer goods,” said Kenny DePasse, of Republic Services Governmental Affairs.
Republic Services says the financial analysis to any program is site specific to each individual situation; therefore it is very difficult to gauge financial impact on any one project. Anyone who is interested in starting a recycling program in their community can contact Republic Services at (812) 298-2100 or email
RSWI@repsrv.com/KdePasse@republicservices.com.
Jane Santucci is an environmental freelance writer for the Tribune-Star. Santucci is a proud volunteer with TREES Inc. and Our Green Valley. She also sits on the Wabash Valley Goodwill Industries Board of Directors. Share your environmental stories and tips with her at JaneSantucci@yourgreenvalley.com.
Valley Life
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