IT ALL STARTED IN COPLAY
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF
RECYCLING IN
PENNSYLVANIA
THANKS TO A SPECIAL LADY
A REPOSTING OF AN EARLIER STORY TO CELEBRATE THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF RECYCLING IN PENNSYLVANIA. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND READ WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE LATE HELEN SCHNECKER, DURING HER TENURE AS A COPLAY BOROUGH COUNCIL MEMBER.
INCIDENTALLY, IT WAS REPORTED ONE YEAR AGO THAT COPLAY HAD RECEIVED, I BELIEVE, SOME $12,000.00 IN PERFORMANCE GRANT FUNDS FROM A PENNSYLVANIA STATE AGENCY. RECENTLY, A COUNCILMAN STATED THAT ONLY 25% OF THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATES IN THE PROGRAM.
STOP, AND THINK, AND PARTICIPATE. USING THE AFOREMENTIONED STATS, COPLAY COULD POSSIBLY RECEIVE $24,000.00 IF 50% OF THE RESIDENTS JOINED IN THE EFFORT. 75% PARTICIPATION COULD INCREASE THE PERFORMANCE GRANT FUNDS RECEIVED TO $36,000.00. THESE FUNDS CAN BE USED FOR ANY PROJECT IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT CANNOT BE USED IN THE GENERAL BUDGET.
PLEASE REMEMBER, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEPARATE THE RECYCLING ITEMS FOR THE THURSDAY PICKUP.THE BOROUGH OFFICE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH WHAT ITEMS QUALIFY. ALSO, SOME ITEMS ARE SHOWN IN THE ORIGINAL STORY WHICH FOLLOWS. LET'S ALL EXTEND OUR PERSONAL EFFORT IN THIS RECYCLING PROJECT, WHICH HAD ITS' BIRTH IN THE BOROUGH OF COPLAY. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR EFFORT. IT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO HONOR THE INITIATIVE OF THE LATE HELEN SCHNECKER. GOD BLESS,
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND READ A BRIEF HISTORY OF RECYCLING AND HOW IT WAS ORIGINATED IN COPLAY AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP REAP THE BENEFITS BY YOUR FULL PARTICIPATION. IT'S YOUR CHOICE!!!
WHEN I WAS ELECTED TO COUNCIL AND TOOK OFFICE IN 2004, I WAS GIVEN THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE SANITATION PORTION OF PUBLIC WORKS. EMPLOYEES IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPT., WHICH INCLUDES THE SANITATION DEPT., ARE ONE OF COPLAY'S TREASURES. IN THE MONTH OF MARCH I WAS NOTIFIED OF A SEMINAR TO BE HELD IN WILKESBARRE BY THE PA DEPT.OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. SANITATION FELL UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THIS PA STATE AGENCY. THE QUANTITY OF RECYCLABLES COLLECTED IS TRACKED WITHIN EACH COMMUNITY AND BASED ON THE FULL YEAR TONNAGE REPORT, DEP AWARDS "PERFORMANCE GRANT FUNDS" TO EACH MUNICIPALITY THAT PARTICIPATES. COUNCIL MEMBER JOYCE LONG WAS THE CARETAKER OF THE MONIES RECEIVED, SO I ASKED HER TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE SEMINAR. THAT'S WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT IT WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME SHE ATTENDED ANY SUCH SESSION SINCE ELECTED TO COUNCIL. IT WAS A FULL DAY EVENT AND WHEN IT RECONVENED FOR THE AFTERNOON PORTION, THE GENTLEMEN IN CHARGE GAVE A BRIEF HISTORY OF RECYCLING IN PENNSYLVANIA. WE, JOYCE AND I, WERE DELIGHTFULLY SURPRISED WHEN, DURING HIS PRESENTATION, THE DEP OFFICIAL STATED THAT "RECYCLING WAS INITIATED IN PENNSYLVANIA IN AUGUST OF 1986 AND THRU THE DILIGENCE AND PERSISTENCE OF A COPLAY COUNCIL MEMBER, MS. HELEN SCHNECKER, COPLAY WAS THE FIRST COMMUNITY IN THE STATE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE.
COPLAY'S VERY OWN "RECYCLING QUEEN"
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| HELEN WAS A MEMBER OF THE CENTELETTES, THE SMALLEST (3) SISTERS OF THE SWISH CHAPTER DURING THE COPLAY CENTENNIAL IN 1969. |
I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED THE BOROUGH OFFICE TO GET AN ACCURATE FIGURE, BUT I ESTIMATE THAT THE BENEFITS REAPED BY COPLAY UNTIL THIS DATE, BECAUSE OF MRS. SCHNECKER, MUST TOTAL MORE THAN $200,000.00. I REMEMBER YEARS WHEN IT WAS MORE THAN $10,000.00, BUT IN RECENT YEARS, THE YEARLY AMOUNT IS AVERAGING ABOUT $8,000.00.
THIS IS WHERE YOU, AS A RESIDENT OF THE CLOSEST THING TO UTOPIA, COME IN TO PLAY. YOU CAN HELP BY REVIEWING YOUR ACTIONS WHERE RECYCLING IS CONCERNED. IF YOU HAVE BEEN TAKING YOUR RECYCLABLES TO AN ADJACENT COMMUNITY FOR DISPOSAL, PLEASE CEASE AND DESIST. WE WILL ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE BOROUGH RECYCLABLE SCHEDULE AND WHAT ITEMS ARE TO BE INCLUDED. THROUGH YOUR DILIGENT EFFORT, WE CAN POSSIBLY ELEVATE THE "PERFORMANCE GRANT MONIES" RECEIVED OVER THE $10,000.00 DOLLAR MARK AGAIN. THE COST TO YOU? NOTHING!!!
RECYCLABLES
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| GLASS & PLASTIC BOTTLES, SODA CANS, MILK BOTTLES, PANCAKE & CAKE MIX BOXES. CLEAR CONTAINERS HAVE A TRIANGLE UNDER THE BOTTOM. THOSE WITH ANY NUMBER 0F 1 THRU 7 ARE RECYCLABLE. |
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| NEWSPAPERS |
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| CARDBOARD BOXES |
INCIDENTALLY, THESE FUNDS CAN BE USED FOR ANYTHING THAT COUNCIL PROPOSES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BUT, THEY CANNOT BE INCLUDED WITH TAX REVENUE IN THE PROPOSED ANNUAL BUDGET PREPARATIONS. PLEASE BE CLEAR ON THAT - THE FUNDS CANNOT BE PART OF THE BUDGET, BUT CAN BE SPENT ON MANY OTHER BOROUGH ACTIVITIES WITHOUT RESTRICTION. IT MEANS TAX REVENUES WILL NOT HAVE TO BE USED TO ACCOMPLISH IMPROVEMENTS FUNDED WITH "PERFORMANCE GRANT FUNDS" OUTSIDE THE BUDGET.
SANITATION DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES COLLECT THE RECYCLABLES EACH AND EVERY THURSDAY, AT YOUR REGULAR TRASH PICKUP POINT, EXCEPT WHEN RESCHEDULED PERIODICALLY DUE TO HOLIDAYS, ETC. THE BOROUGH OFFICE PROVIDES PUBLIC NOTICE OF ANY TEMPORARY CHANGE IN THE
COLLECTION SCHEDULE. FOR ANY INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAM, PLEASE CALL THE BOROUGH OFFICE AT 610-262-6088.
THE OUTCOME IS NOW IN YOUR HANDS. PICK UP THE BALL AND RUN WITH IT. YOUR COOPERATION IS NEEDED TO RUN UP THE SCORE.
THANK YOU & GOD BLESS,
FRANK AND ANN DICKMAN
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