Environmental Efforts To Continue Despite Federal Money Cuts

FAYETTEVILLE — The Boston Mountain Solid Waste District will continue to employ an environmental educator working with school districts, counties and municipalities after money for a federally funded program goes away.

The waste district, along with Washington County’s Environmental Affairs, Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas and other organizations have partnered with Energy Corps staff members. Energy Corps is a program from the Corporation for National and Community Service, an independent federal agency that also runs AmeriCorps.

At A Glance

Boston Mountain Solid Waste District

The Boston Mountain Solid Waste District is one of 18 in Arkansas. The district provides solid waste management in Washington and Madison counties. It operates a transfer station west of Prairie Grove where residents drop off solid waste and recyclables. The waste is taken to the Ec0-Vista Landfill near Tontitown, and recyclables are sold. The district also works with cities to provide recycling programs for residents to reduce solid waste disposal.

Source: Staff Report

Robyn Reed, waste district director, said Energy Corps has provided a staff member for two years. This year’s automatic budget cuts, also known as sequestration, led to Energy Corps to withdraw members from the area after September, said Brian Pugh, Fayetteville waste reduction coordinator.

The automatic budget cuts resulted in a $38 million loss, an 8 percent cut, for AmeriCorps in 2013 when compared to the previous year, according to an analysis by the National Priorities Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization in Massachusetts. Energy Corps is a component of AmeriCorps, according to its website.

Calls to Energy Corps and the community service corporation weren't returned.

Rob Moore, Energy Corps member, ends his commitment with the program at the end of September and will begin working for the waste district in October, he said.

“We still have a huge populations that burns their trash in the backyard,” Moore said.

Moore works with officials in the county and Madison County to promote proper solid waste disposal, he said. He's also focused this past year on working at the Springdale School District to reform its recycling effort, he said.

Moore said school officials in Springdale have become receptive to developing district-wide recycling programs. He’s working to develop recycling efforts that would not cost the district any money or extra man hours, he said.

“Each program is unique to each school,” Moore said. “Who picks up (recyclables) and who moves it? Where is it going and how’s it sorted?”

Moore said teachers and other volunteers are crucial to developing a sustainable recycling program.

Calls to Gary Compton, school district assistant superintendent for support services, weren't returned.

In Fayetteville, the city is close to launching a marketing and education campaign focused on recycling services for residents, Pugh said. Energy Corps members were crucial in developing the campaign, he said.

Don Marr, chief of staff to Mayor Lioneld Jordan, told waste district board members this month the city was interested in splitting the cost an additional environmental educator with the district, if approved by the City Council.

Reed said the waste district will use about $60,000 in grant money from the state Department of Environmental Quality to pay for Moore’s salary and benefits and also an additional part-time educator. If Fayetteville joins in, that part-time position will change to full time, she said.

Pugh said the educator would also work in Fayetteville schools with green teams to promote environmental sustainability programs.

Reed said she plans to begin advertising for the part-time position in August or September.

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