Northwest Nevada Tops State for Recycling

"There's more of a commitment to recycling regionally,"said David Friedman, state recycling coordinator."There just seems to be more of a commitment to the environment. People identify it as a higher goal in northern Nevada."

Washoe County and Carson City lead the state in diverting recyclable items from the landfill and are the only communities close to reaching the state-legislated goal of 25 percent diversion, Friedman said.

He added that composting operations that recycle agricultural waste has helped Douglas County keep more materials out of landfills than many other rural counties.

People who move to Nevada from California or other states frequently are surprised there aren't more recycling opportunities, said Dave Emme, bureau chief of the Nevada Bureau of Waste Management.

The lack of recycling is greater in the rural areas and in the Las Vegas area.

"Washoe County has done very well, and Carson City has done well. But in Clark County, it's been flat and even decreased to some extent,"Emme told the Reno Gazette-Journal."That's where our problem lies."

The 1991 Nevada Legislature set a goal of diverting 25 percent of waste from landfills. The goal, which had no deadline, has yet to be met.

The statewide average for 2000 was 14 percent, said Friedman. While likely similar to the previous year, a 2001 number has not been calculated, Friedman said, because some counties did not turn in figures or have submitted ones that could be inaccurate.

Officials want to amend state law in the upcoming legislative session to improve the reporting system.

For example, Clark County's recycling rate was 14 percent in 2000 but many recycling companies there didn't submit information to the county in 2001.

Washoe County's recycling rate was 23 percent in 2000, but county officials said it jumped to 29 percent in 2001. Friedman, however, questions the accuracy of that figure, saying the biggest increase was in the recycling of grease and animal products.

"It's just not realistic,"he said."There's just not that much rendered animal waste in Washoe County."

Cass Luke, spokeswoman for the Washoe District Health Department, said the county's diversion rate increased because of several factors.

"These are numbers we stand by,"Luke said."We submitted them to the state in March, and they were not disputed at that time."

Whether the rate is 29 percent or closer to the previous year's figure of 23 percent, Washoe County remains the state's leader, Friedman said. - Reno Gazette-Journal