An editorial from the Parkersburg News and Sentinel
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Vienna residents faced with one potential environmental concern are quickly building up another, as tens of thousands of plastic water bottles pile up every day. In fact, according to estimates from Mayor Randy Rapp, 52,000 bottles of water were distributed to the community in one day, as a do-not-drink recommendation went out after the Environmental Protection Agency revised its guidance on C8.
There are, of course, recycling containers in Vienna, but nothing of the capacity to hold a worse-case-scenario 1.8 million plastic water bottles (assuming the maximum 52,000 bottles per day over the course of five weeks). But as so often happens here in the Mid-Ohio Valley, communities are working together to help avoid dumping that much plastic into the landfill.
Wood County Solid Waste Authority Director John Reed and Parkersburg city officials are working to get some of Parkersburg’s old recycling trailers to Vienna, where they can hold tens of thousands of bottles each. The plan only works if residents bring their bottles in for recycling, however.
Those who have taken advantage of the water brought in should bring their empty bottles to the Vienna Utility Board garage behind 210 60th St., so they can be placed in the trailers for recycling. Public Works Director Rick Lemley said, “We’re just trying to be a good neighbor.”
This plan works only if Vienna residents return the favor, and act as good neighbors by returning all that plastic to the recycling containers. The community must not allow all that extra effort and cooperation to go to waste.
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