These pictures are courteous of avid contributor Craig Benton - Thanks Craig!
Here are a couple of pictures of recycling collection in Spain from Cuenca…in the main plaza, and in Segovia. In space constrained Europe, this underground collection method saves space, is more attractive and fits into the historical areas of town without becoming a eye sore…. Materials collected includes glass, containers (plastic bottles, tetra pak and cans), paper and cardboard together, and organic residuals.

I know you’ve gotten lots of photos of recycling in Europe this year, including one from Barcelona. The bins are just like I remember them during my trip there in October. The photo I’m sending shows the recycling containers, but in the background you can see the station for the local bike sharing enterprise. The bikes for sharing are lined up and attached using a special docking system. The tall kiosk at the end allows members to take and return bikes using an access card. A couple additional photos show more details. I know there are cities in this country that could use such a system.

This week’s pictures are courtesy of Susan Fife-Ferris. Thanks Susan!

I was inspired to send some of my recycling pictures in from our trip to Europe this past summer. We traveled all over, and the pictures I’m attaching are of collection containers in the park by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, collection in the canals of Venice, Italy, drop-off containers in Olympia, Greece, and (the blurry one) drop-off containers in the streets of Naples, Italy. My husband and kids think I’m a bit crazy since I’m always taking pictures of the recycling facilities and other utilities infrastructure wherever we go.

This picture was originally published in a San Juan County News release. It is being published here to accompany the article published in this week’s newsletter.

Thanks Craig Benton for sending in these pictures!
Not to be out done by Eden Mack (sorry for getting it wrong and using Mercer the past few times Eden!), I am attaching a few pictures from an art show I stumbled upon while visiting the charming town of Colmar in the Alsace area of France in September. All of the art pieces are made from recycled materials. The one outside was particularly interesting with a metal sculpture of a woman within a dumpster. So this is what they are up to here as well. Some of the art can actually be used as furniture or luggage..check it out.

Thank you Rob VanOrsow for submitting these pictures!
A look back 20+ years - “State of the Art” curbside recycling and processing in Bellingham WA, circa 1986.

A total of 10 boxes were carried on the flat bed. All materials were sorted into the boxes on route as they were collected. No such thing as commingled recycling back then. The totes in the back held Mixed Paper. As the blue boxes filled, plywood slats were added - which increased loading height. It helped to be tall. There were low side racks for cases of refillable beer bottles and scrap metal - & maybe even motor oil? You didn’t want to make too sharp a turn with this set up.

Fibers were often ‘processed’ right off the truck into totes. Compaction was done manually via the stomp method. Cardboard was flattened and stuck in-between the blue boxes while on route. If there were more stops left on the route that day, the boxes could be swapped for empties, but it was best to “get it all in one load.”

Storage for processed materials. This site was shared with WWU’s recycling center. Paper was stored under cover in totes, and glass was sorted by color (often by work-release Juvenile Detention kids) & then crushed into barrels. The full barrels were raised high with the forklift, and then a tug on a rope tipped the barrel into the trailer used to haul the cullet to market. Totes were easier to deal with - they were just loaded into vans using the forklift and pallet jacks.

Here are some pictures that Jim Bill (inspired by Eden :)) Sent to us from his trip through Europe in Spring 2007.

I focused on glass recycling bins, seeing how they are labeled in different languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Italian, Greek, and German.

The bin in the Paris cemetery was mostly full of faded flowers and greens, but there was also a little trash in it so I suppose they weren’t really composting the stuff.

Too bad I didn’t have a digital camera when I visited Japan, China, and Russia two years ago!

(Hover your mouse over the images to see where the picture was taken)

(more…)

UPDATED (11/13/07): Here’s the entire letter Eden sent along with her picture.

After almost 3 years living in Europe (the last 2 in Luxembourg) my husband, new baby girl and I will be returning to Seattle the first week of October. During this European adventure we have taken many trips and many pictures of recycling, and I hope to get them organized at some point so that I can share more with you and the DTN. In the meantime, here is one from a trip we just took (likely our last vacation of any kind since we plan to buy a house in Seattle :) )…We sailed around the Amalfi coast (Naples, Italy-ish) for 5 days and then spent 5 days on the Island of Ischia for the wedding of a friend from Portland. It is a stunningly beautiful part of the world, and I was pleased to see as many recycling bins as I did.

This picture is taken in the town of Amalfi, right next to the marina. Adeline Morgan (3 months) is in the carrier on my front.

We are excited to be moving back home to the PNW, and look forward to reconnecting. My husband will take on a new position at Amazon.com and I’ll start looking for work soon. Of course, if you know of any job leads, let me know!

Cheers,
Eden Mack (formerly Mercer)

P.S. If you post this letter, also add my “hello” to everyone who knows me, and feel free to pass on my e-mail address. I’ll be looking for lunch dates to get caught up on the past few years, and from what I’ve seen so far in the first week-ish, it has been great! Tully’s and others composting their cups?! Curbside food waste recycling?! Public recycling bins in prominent places? Congrats to all for their good work. It is wonderful to be home.

Original Post (10/31/07):
Eden Mercer has sent us one (of hopefully many) recycling pictures from her time in Europe. Thanks Eden!
We sailed around the Amalfi coast (Naples, Italy-ish) for 5 days and then spent 5 days on the Island of Ischia for the wedding of a friend from Portland. It is a stunningly beautiful part of the world, and I was pleased to see as many recycling bins as I did.

This picture is taken in the town of Amalfi, right next to the marina.

I had the pleasure of starting my time back in B’ham the right way at the RE Store’s benefit for their new location. The most entertaining, and seemingly popular event of the night was Extreme Bowling. This is probably one of the most creative ways I’ve seen to raise money, ever… Who wouldn’t love to aim a bowling ball for ramps leading to old-school 5 gpf toilets, sheets of glass and chandeliers? I know I sure enjoyed watching…

My thanks to Lisa Friend for hooking me up with a ticket for the night! I also owe thanks to my friend Liz for being my personal photographer - Brian

The targets…

The lanes…

The intended damage…

Frame One…

Frame Two… It’s a Spare!

Here are some pictures of our SmartArt Contest. Artwork was made out of recycled materials and entered by various folks. The exhibit was put together by Hannah Swee, AmeriCorps Member with my office from 9/06-7/07. The exhibit was held at Whitman College during April in honor of Earth Day.

Sharon Baker Johnson, Coordinator
Waste Management Division,
Public Works Walla Walla County

Thanks for sending in your pictures Sharon!

It’s a vermi couch! Our reader David Skakel has sent in these pictures of his very unique worm bin/customer couch that he uses at the Gorge Rebuild-it Center in Hood River.

Thanks for the pictures David!