As Flathead County considers scaling back the number of blue recycling bins offered at sites throughout the county, a group of Flathead High School students made a pitch to the commissioners on Tuesday to keep the recycling program at its current level.

Eight students from Flathead’s International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems and Societies second-year class highlighted the long-term environmental and economic benefits of reducing landfill waste. Their minimum request to commissioners was that the county not reduce its recycling efforts.

“The community has gotten into the habit of recycling,” senior Samantha Wacker said.

The county has been using Valley Recycling on a monthly basis since the county’s contract with the company ended in January. With a proposed contract that would significantly increase the cost for recycling services, the county has looked at reducing the number of blue-bin sites available to residents.

County Public Works Director Dave Prunty said currently there are 11 blue-bin sites and there is discussion to reduce that to four for budgetary reasons.

“It’s a growing industry and will only grow bigger and bigger,” said senior Katie Weed said about recycling.

Under the current county program, the volume of recycled material from the blue bins is about 1 percent of landfill waste annually, Prunty said.

“Flathead County contributes about 1,200 tons per year,” Prunty said.

 When recyclables are received, Valley Recycling crushes, bales and sells them to vendors that ship them overseas. Valley Recycling District Manager Josh Brown said the market will always be there for recyclables — and will even increase — but current prices purchasers are willing to pay has decreased.

Students offered potential solutions to increase recycling efforts and reduce costs and landfill expansion.

“Recycling creates more jobs than a landfill,” Weed said.

One idea students presented was building a plant to process recyclables, either more effectively to reduce shipping costs or transform them into useable material or products.

Students also proposed an incentive for recycling that might provide additional funds through a “pay-as-you-throw,” program. Residents would be charged based on the amount of household waste thrown away. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency compares this type of program as treating trash pick-up like a household utility such as electricity.

Environmental Systems and Societies teacher Lori Ortley also spoke to the commissioners about her students’ presentation.

“This was totally student-driven,” Ortley said. “This is our future. This is what we’re looking at and they care.”

Commissioner Gary Krueger proposed a challenge for students at the end of the presentation.

“I’d also like to challenge you young students to try to imagine what we will do with the recycled products we collect. It’s not just collection, it’s also how you can utilize them in your community,” Krueger said.

After their presentation, senior Mattie Mazur said organizing the presentation was a move to show that students were willing and eager to discuss solutions for a sustainable county recycling program with commissioners. Weed said they would wait to see what the commissioners will do with their ideas.

“We’re willing to put the work in to keep recycling in the valley,” Weed said. “We’ll see what their next move is, if they follow through with some of our ideas.”

Kalispell residents Jera and Kim Schwegel attended the meeting and gave kudos to the students.

“You guys are so cool,” Jera Schwegel said. “All of you are so great.”

Kim Schwegel said they live on land that is slated to become part of a landfill expansion.

“We’ve been trying to stop, or slow the expansion for some time,” Kim Schwegel said.

During a phone interview, Prunty, who attended the meeting, also commended the young students for addressing the commissioners.

“It’s neat that the kids took initiative to put something together like that and that they have some passion about the issue,” Prunty said.

Flathead and Glacier High Schools and Kalispell Middle School were previously blue-bin sites for several years until misuse of the bins led to their removal this summer at the request of administrators.

Superintendent Darlene Schottle said some of the bins were being used to dump garbage. Kalispell Middle School Principal Tryg Johnson said if bins were full, people would stack recyclables on the ground, which would sometimes blow into neighborhoods. School administrators wanted to clean things up and this meant removing the bins.

Both high schools, however, continue recycling, which is overseen by students in job skills classes. In the middle school, Johnson said some teachers travel to blue-bin sites to recycle on their own initiative.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].