Hospital, city work together to promote recycling

Stacey Aguilar and Derek Sailors, Community Hospital employees heading up the hospital's recycling efforts, sort items into the City of McCook's recycling trailer. The trailer is parked at the hospital, but is available for the public to use. (Community Hospital) [Click to enlarge]

Community Hospital and the City of McCook are working together to make recycling more accessible to the public, according to Kyle Potthoff, Public Works Director.

A recycling trailer, which was acquired by the city from federal surplus for approximately 25 percent of the cost of a new one, will continue to be parked on hospital grounds to allow the public the option of recycling 24 hours a day. The trailer was placed on hospital grounds earlier this year for a trial period.

It is equipped with marked bins for plastic, newspaper, magazines, office paper/junk mail, plastic shopping bags, aluminum cans and tin cans. Due to breakage, the trailer is not equipped to accept glass, batteries, white goods, or any other metal. There is also a separate container nearby for cardboard.

Although the trailer is available for the public to use, its accessibility on the hospital campus has allowed Community Hospital employees to step up their recycling efforts. Earlier this year, the hospital formed a recycling team called Environmental Activities that Really Take Heart-- E.A.R.T.H. Stacey Aguilar and Derek Sailors, Community Hospital employees heading up E.A.R.T.H., are happy the city has decided to leave the trailer at the hospital.

They both said the use of the trailer has increased week by week. "At first, it would take four weeks to fill the trailer," said Aguilar, explaining that Josh Cappel, who works at the McCook Recycling Center, empties the trailer once it is full. "Now, the trailer fills up every week," she added.

Community Hospital Recycling Efforts

In addition to items from the public, the hospital does it part to recycle. Recycling containers for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, newspapers and batteries have been placed throughout the facility.

The E.A.R.T.H. team is working with the dietary department to look at ways to reduce the use of Styrofoam products. One idea which may be implemented by January is to purchase plastic cups with lids which can be washed in the cafeteria’s dishwasher and reused. Presently, Community Hospital purchases 113,500 Styrofoam cups a year.

This week, the E.A.R.T.H. team is asking employees to participate in a recycling survey to learn how much departments recycle, their roadblocks to recycling and receptiveness to becoming more committed.

The E.A.R.T.H. team would also like to apply for a grant to acquire another recycling trailer, to enable the city to have two 24-hour recycling locations.

City of McCook Recycling Center

The public may also take items for recycling to City of McCook Recycling Center at 1501 Old Highway West 6 & 34. The recycling center is located at the McCook transfer station. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Items that can be recycled include: cardboard (corrugated only and brown sacks accepted), glass (brown and clear only-rinsed and no lids), plastic (#1 and #2 only-look on bottom of container; rinsed out and no lids), newspapers, magazines, office paper (white only), computer paper, junk mail (colored paper, envelopes), tin cans (one end opened, label removed and rinsed out), aluminum cans, automotive batteries, metal (cast iron, copper, stainless steel, lead, mowers), white goods (washer, dryers, stoves). Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners are accepted when accompanied with a Freon-free certificate.

City of McCook Cardboard Bins

The city has also placed cardboard recycling bins at three places in McCook including Highland Park, the city offices and Community Hospital. These bins are available 24 hours a day.

For more information on recycling, call the City of McCook Recycling Center at 308-345-7049 or Stacey Aguilar at Community Hospital at 308-344-8320.