So much for saving the Earth - let alone landfill space - in Orem.

The first comprehensive recycling program in the city has collapsed after operating for nine months.Smurfit Recycling Co. of Salt Lake City removed its recycling trailers from various locations in the city about two weeks ago, saying it wasn't making enough money to justify continuing the operation.

The company had four trailers in the city that accepted newspapers, magazines, computer paper, aluminum, plastic and glass. Volunteers associated with Orem's Recycling Commission and school PTAs manned the trailers.

The picture is not totally dismal for environmentally sensitive residents: Other vendors continue to operate newspaper and aluminum recycling sites in the city.

But the loss of the more comprehensive program is a blow to members of the Recycling Commission.

"I've kind of been in mourning," said Nancy Alder, commission member. "It was really disheartening to see it end. It was a lot of hard work, but . . . it was necessary.

"In the best of all possible worlds it could have worked well, but we didn't get the numbers (of participants) we were hoping for."

Smurfits hoped to make enough money on newspapers and aluminum to pay for the trailers and their transportation to and from Salt Lake City. But it ended up losing thousands of dollars, according to Stewart M. Cowley, services division manager for Orem.

"Smurfits estimated that if it could fill the trailers reasonably well with paper and aluminum it would offset losses in glass and plastic," Cowley said. "In practice the recyclables being left were mostly plastic and glass.

There were a lot of milk jugs out there."

The markets for recyclable plastic and glass are abysmal. According to one commercial recycler, an Oregon processing company has enough green glass to run it for 10 years.

A dead market combined with transportation costs killed Smurfits interest in Utah County, Cowley said. Problems with the trailers' locations, hours of operation and individuals dumping inappropriate items in the bins also exacerbated the situation.

"They were big ugly trailers, and nobody wanted them in their neighborhood basically," Cowley said.

While 90 percent of the material brought to the trailers was well prepared and sorted, 10 percent was "just junk we couldn't deal with" - like dirty diapers.

Originally the trailers were set up with staggered hours so that on any given day residents would be able to find an open location.

"In practice people weren't willing to work with that," Cowley said. "They latched on to one they were familiar with, and if it was not open they dumped stuff on the ground."

The Recycling Commission resorted to leaving the trailers open round the clock. But in one instance, a transient moved into a trailer, which made volunteers monitoring the bin nervous, Cowley said.

Members of the Recycling Commission are redoubling their efforts to get a workable program functioning again. What's needed is a program that is convenient - and mandatory.

"It needs to be a curbside program," Alder said. "I would personally like to see a graduated system in place whereby residents could get a rebate if they placed recyclable items out. We're working on that."

Dave Frandsen, chairman of the Recycling Commission, said Orem needs access to a state-of-the-art transfer station that can sort recyclable material in order for recycling to work.

"In an interim basis we're trying to see if we can get some (bins) from somewhere else and operate them ourselves," Frandsen said.

The commission is also working on getting aluminum recycling bins located at Orem schools; the schools would get to keep all money generated.

In the meantime, Frandsen said, there is something residents can do: help develop a market for recycling by purchasing recycled goods. Products such as paper towels, toilet paper, napkins and writing paper are now made from recycled paper.

"If stores don't sell it, encourage them to do it," he said. "We need to develop the market for it. Then this recycling will take off better."

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(Additional information)

Recycling bins still available

Recycling bins for aluminum and newspaper are still available in Orem at the following locations:

Newspaper

- 1200 N. State

- 750 W. 50 South

- 200 N. 200 East

- 158 E. 1100 South

- 1700 S. 400 East

- 1660 N. 50 East

- 150 E. 600 North

- 800 E. 1200 North

- 300 S. 170 West

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- 1950 N. State

Aluminum

- Approx. 700 N. State

- 126 N. 1330 West

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