The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Best Western Hotel sponsors

Earth Day recycling challenge

DAYTON - Recycling has been an option in Dayton for years for many materials, including cardboard, paper, cans and bottles. Even motor oil and old appliances can be dropped off at the Dayton transfer station. But plastic bottles and other containers have never been on that list, until now.

For the next month, Day­tonites are being challenged to show their earth-friend­liness by filling a 15-yard disposal bin for plastic re­cycling bin that has recently been brought to town. The Best Western Hotel and Suites is sponsoring a spe­cial Earth Day challenge, and the bin has been placed behind the hotel, courtesy of Basin Disposal, Inc.

"Our hotel and its owner, Dr. Duke, are committed to being green," said the hotel's General Manager Eleanor Specht. "We've developed this program to celebrate Earth Day."

Besides the big bin at the hotel, smaller plastic recycling containers will be located at local churches and businesses. Best Western employees will pick up the recyclables and take them to the hotel bin.

Earth Day is April 22, and the Best Western's recycling challenge will wrap up that day with an Earth Day cele­bration. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., kids of all ages are invited to the hotel to create special Earth Day crafts and art projects. Those who bring a clean soup can, can make a "Mr. Recycle Head, with green grass hair. Snacks and prizes will also be offered.

Specht said that the cur­rent plastic recycling will end on Earth Day, but she hopes that the event will spark enough interest in recycling plastic, that it can soon come back perma­nently.

"BDI tells us that plastic recycling is very expensive, so they need a big volume to make it feasible," Specht said. "We plan to at least make it an annual event."

Currently in Dayton, there are two locations to drop off recycling, besides the transfer station:

The bins behind the bus barn near Second Street accept mixed paper, brown glass, clear glass and news­papers.

The bins behind Colum­bia REA near Commercial Street accept mixed paper, brown glass, clear glass, newspaper and cardboard.

Businesses and other organizations interested in being a dropoff location for plastic recycling until April 22 should contact Specht at (509) 382-4790.