Landfill idea good; now let's improve recycling

This editorial appears in the Feb. 4, 2012, Yakima Herald-Republic

Yakima County officials are to be commended for not letting waste go to waste -- and, at the same time, extending the life of the Terrace Heights Landfill. But the effort highlights a longer-term solution that still eludes us.

A Jan. 25 story in the Yakima Herald-Republic detailed how the county is meeting a state requirement to cover each day's garbage with 6 inches of soil. At $10 to $20 per ton, dirt is actually a prized commodity. The county solved the problem with a plan to treat the trash with a mixture of discarded latex paint and a mineral fiber product that is sprayed over the garbage.

County officials tout the move as a way to save money by not having to pay a contractor to haul away the paint. It also saves space and extends the life of the landfill. The new process, combined with tighter garbage compacting and a drop in the amount of garbage, looks to add another year to the life of the Terrace Heights landfill. It's now scheduled to close in 2020, when the Upper Valley's trash will go to the Cheyne Landfill north of Zillah.

There is, as we have recommended before, another way: a comprehensive and aggressive recycling program. While we're talking about throwing out garbage, we'll throw in the "m" (mandatory) word.

Yakima County trails the rest of the state and much of the country in recycling awareness and implementation. A private company, Yakima Waste Systems, offers curbside recycling but only in the immediate Yakima vicinity. Officials throughout Central Washington are reluctant to pursue an aggressive recycling path, which runs counter to the mindset of wide-open, lightly fettered small-town and rural living.

But we're also a practical bunch, and recycling is a practical solution to a problem that will confront us down the road to Cheyne. Transportation costs will rise once the Terrace Heights landfill closes, and someday Cheyne is bound to reach its limit and force officials to find more landfill space. Local officials have said the state also could institute a recycling mandate.

It can be done east of the mountains; Spokane County recycled 51 percent of its trash in 2010, higher than the state average. The city of Spokane requires residential households to pay for garbage service, which includes a recycling bin. Garbage collection is not mandatory outside the city limits.

We commend the county for its creativity in having discarded paint do its dirty work. Now we'd like to see our elected leaders in the county, the city of Yakima and other Valley communities work for a longer-term solution, be it through a mandate or through strong incentives to recycle.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Sharon J. Prill, Bob Crider, Frank Purdy and Karen Troianello.