Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 11, 1981.
Recycling still going strong
By Jan Aikens
Lifestyle editor
Mrs. Gloria Keller, chairman of the recycling project, hands a stack of newspapers to an unidentified PACT (Prisoners and Community Together) worker during a Saturday collection day. Valparaiso Woman’s Club, who took over the project in 1974, recently passed the $10,000 mark for the club’s contribution to an endowment fund used for scholarships at Valparaiso University. (V-M: Jan Aikens)
When the 1970s started, Americans were faced with college uprisings, peace signs and this country’s involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
If one looked hard enough, there were some events Americans were witnessing. One of these was the sudden look at the appearance of the nation and the desire to clean up the side of the roads, parks and fields. “Recycling” became a household word and recycling centers opened in many communities across the country. Bottles, aluminum cans and newspapers were all items that could be recycled back into the environment.
Valparaiso was not slighted in this new trend. Two families ー the Johanns and the Daughertys ー started newspaper recycling and ran the operation for about two years before the project became too much for them to handle. Valparaiso Woman’s Club, not wanting the program to die, undertook the task in 1974 and have been operating it ever since.
“It was not easy for me to get the women to take on this project,” said Gloria Keller, chairman of the recycling project. “Most of the women are elderly and are unable to do much lifting,” she said pointing to the newspapers as they are lifted by boys onto the truck.
The last Saturday of the month residents can take their old, clean newspapers to the City Garage, corner of Axe and Brick streets, anytime between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. There the newspapers are put on a truck provided by A.J. Berrier Co. and sold to a recycling center.
“We have made from $5 to $50 a ton depending on the status of the economy,” said Mrs. Keller, a woman who has dedicated herself to preserving the remaining resources this country has.
However, the Woman’s Club does not keep the money for themselves. In 1976 an endowment fund was established for scholarships at Valparaiso University. This year the club passed the $10,000 mark for contribution to the fund. The first scholarship was given in May 1977 for use during the 1977-78 school year. Mrs. Keller said that this May, when the scholarship will be awarded, it will be worth $500.
For the last three years members of PACT (Prisoners and Community Together) have helped lift the newspapers on the truck.
“I have been very impressed with the boys from PACT. This is one way they can work off their prison sentence within the community and help us at the same time.”
Mrs. Keller said that the program is running smoothly and mentioned other organizations have tried similar projects but weren’t successful. However, she feels that the community involvement is very low.
“There is only one percent participation of the community in the recycling project. More people could participate if they would just get into the routine of saving their newspapers.”
She said that some people have block participation in which one person would pick up the newspapers from their neighbors on their block and bring them down to the recycling center.
“This way the people save gas as well as newspapers.”
Now, that’s the way to preserve America’s resources!
