Saving money, planet
By James Moate News Assistant

A Potter County Solid Waste Authority employee helps unload a truck at the transfer station in Gold. Dumpers pay by the pound for disposal service. The trash is trucked to the Rustick LLC landfill near Mt. Jewett. A recycling center also operates at the Gold facility, collecting glass, aluminum, plastic, cardboard and other items to keep it from being buried.

It's hard for many to make ends meet these days. With gasoline and utility prices up to stay, saving money has never been more crucial.

One way to squeeze a dollar is to recycle certain items that otherwise end up in the trash, increasing disposal costs and wasting natural resources.

The Potter County Solid Waste Authority (SWA) has made that easy, through the operation of a full-scale recycling center next to its transfer station in the village of Gold.

That facility along Pa. Rt. 49 accepts glass, aluminum and other recyclables at no charge. The SWA also cooperates with private recycling operations, such as the Coudersport Area Lions Club program.

Some basic rules apply: --glass must be clear or brown, and rinsed;

--aluminum beverage cans are accepted but no steel cans;

--cardboard can be dropped off, as long as it's not from foreign countries;

--newspapers are accepted, but they must be dry;

--plastic containers are eligible if they are No. 1 or No. 2 (numbers are found in a triangle at the bottom of each container).

SWA also accepts non-recyclable materials at a fee. A steady stream of vehicles can be seen pulling into the transfer station to deposit everything from demolition debris to old appliances. Fee is based on the weight of the material dumped into the subsurface bin, which is actually a trailer. It's hauled to the Rustick LLC near Mt. Jewett, where the trash is buried in a certified private landfill.

With few exceptions -- batteries and contaminated soil, for example -- the SWA will accept anything that conforms to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. Cost is either 4.75 cents per pound, or $2.25 per bag. Tires are accepted, with the fee depending on each tire's size.

Refrigerators or other items containing freon are not accepted unless the gas has been captured by an EPA-certified technician. Freon collection is available at the transfer station for a fee.

Procedure is easy: pull your vehicle onto the scale; proceed to the bin to dispose of the trash, then return to the scale to be weighed again. Fee is based on the difference in weight.

The transfer station and recycling center are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

Additional information is available by calling the SWA at (814) 848-9610.