To the Editor:

The Environmental Action Community (EAC) of Western North Carolina, a nonprofit organization based in Haywood County, is participating in a reusable bag give-way at four of the county convenience centers this month as well as other activities in April, the month of Earth Day. Sturdy, large reusable bags supplied by Haywood County’s Recycling Office, will be given away to help combat the misunderstanding that plastic bags distributed at grocery stores and the large blue recycling bags, plus large dark garbage bags are recyclable at our convenience centers, commonly called “dumps.”  

Join the WNC Environmental Summit March 23 at Haywood Community College.

Paul Allen from “Feed Me Foam” will showcase his mobile densifier technology. Witness firsthand how clean packing foam can be recycled efficiently and sustainably.

The event will begin with a live demonstration at 2 p.m.

Bring your clean packing foam (no food-grade foam, please) and contribute to a greener future. There will also be free recycling information available.

They can eat just about anything and multiply like crazy. They live all over the world, in a variety of environments — wherever you go, they’re likely nearby. 

Up your recycling know-how during a program at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Reuter Center. 

A recent collaboration between Junaluska Elementary fifth graders, Haywood Community College students and Haywood County Solid Waste and Recycling will keep about 90,000 juice and milk cartons out of the county landfill each school year.

In mid-November 2021, a group of friends was passing the evening gathered around a campfire at Lake Keowee, South Carolina, when the conversation turned to plastic, its tragic overabundance in the world, and how a small group of people might address the issue at home in Western North Carolina.

In August, Jackson County commissioners voted unanimously to buy 3.67 acres along Haywood Road in Dillsboro to use as the new site for the area’s recycling drop-off center. But Dillsboro’s town board is now voicing staunch opposition to the move, claiming that the plan would adversely affect the town’s economy and cause problems with traffic and litter. 

Jackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of land in Sylva that has been county-owned since 2012.

After a closed session discussion during its Aug. 20 meeting, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to buy a pair of properties along Haywood Road in Dillsboro as part of a plan to remake the county’s existing Green Energy Park. 

Local governments try to do their best in keeping recyclables out of local landfills, in part because it extends the life of the landfill and saves taxpayers money, and in part because of the tremendous energy savings realized when something like a glass bottle is made into a new glass bottle.