Recyclers honor locals

From left, Martha Zollinger, John Zollinger and Octavia Fellin receive the first Awards of Merit from the McKinley Citizens Recycling Council for their leadership and helping to start recycling in Gallup. The Gallup Recycles Day event was Saturday afternoon at the Rainbow Recycle Center. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A solar oven. A hand-puppet from Bangladesh made of discarded burlap. Jars of crushed glass ready for a new life.

They were all on display Saturday at the Rainbow Recycling Center, along the eastern wall of the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center on Montoya Boulevard, for Gallup Recycles Day. Hosted by the McKinley Citizens' Recycling Coalition, it was the city's chance to recognize and promote the importance of recycling.

It was also a chance for the coalition to honor some of the locals who have helped make the group and its mission possible, the first year it's done so.

"It's only been through the tenacity of a lot of people that we still exist," said coalition chairwoman Betsy Windisch.

This year the coalition honored Octavia Fellin for founding the group, Gallup Mayor Bob Rosebrough for bringing together all the players that made the recycling center possible, Gallup Independent Chairman John Zollinger for recycling newspapers, Martha Zollinger for her commitment to reusing used products, and Gallup Camper Sales owner George Pollock for recycling plastic.

Pollock's conversion to the cause was a big coup for the group.

"We go through a lot of plastic in this town," said Windisch, and its share of the garbage is only growing.

But until Pollock came along, it all went straight to the landfill. It was only about a month ago, Windisch said, that he agreed to take what plastic the center could collect and ship if off for sale.

With his help, bins for plastic now join the ones for aluminum, glass and corrugated cardboard at the center. The coalition redeems the aluminum for cash to help fund its operations, sends the glass to Gallup Sand and Gravel for use in its experimental batches of cement, and lets the McKinley Paper Company in Prewitt have the cardboard.

Neither the city nor the council keep close track of exactly how much trash these efforts have saved from local landfills over the 15 years the council has been around. They do know they've saved at least 75 tons of glass in the past year.

Windisch recalled a time when city and county officials would have been just as happy if the council had just gone away.

"But we stuck it out and we're still here," she said.

And having made it this far, the council has no intention of stopping. Looking around the center's modest operations, Windisch said, "this is just the beginning."