Contributed by Randi Perlman
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the month of April, which brings longer days and warmer sunlight, the return of our migratory birds, gardening and fishing, and for some, that urge for spring cleaning. With so much worrisome news of late and stuck inside more than we’re used to or like to be, this is a great time to give in to your urges and tackle some of those household projects you’ve been putting off…‘til now!
For some of us, this time at home with family can mean extra hands available, so gather up the players, divvy up the tasks, and make spring cleaning fun and productive. It’s also a great time for the whole family to learn about the benefits of recycling and how to sort it out. Whether it’s the hallway closet, your garage, the basement, or all of the above, many hands make for shorter work hours and fun togetherness, with a real sense of pride and accomplishment when it’s done.
And good news! To add to your spring cleaning enjoyment, both the Mat-Su Borough Central Landfill and your local recycling center, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS), are open, ready and eager to take trash and recyclables off your hands.
Both facilities are located on N 49th State Street, off the Palmer Wasilla Highway, and both are following all appropriate protocols to ensure the safety of staff and the public. Recent recyclers arriving at the VCRS residential drive-thru greeter’s booth have expressed joy and gratitude to find it staffed and open for business, with comments like, “Thank goodness you and the liquor stores are still open,” and “Ahh, recycling in Alaska, livin’ the dream.” In addition, Terry’s innovative approach to greeting recyclers is a must-see!
Since both entities are considered essential services, having the landfill and recycling center open during this hunker-down moment in time not only gives folks an outlet for their disposables, it provides an element of normalcy for our community, while also bringing a sense of purpose and job-well-done to both workers and Mat-Su residents. One important way recyclers can move the process along smoothly and efficiently while respecting social distancing standards is having materials pre-sorted for quick offloading. If items are not sorted, please be willing to pull around, park and sort in order to keep traffic flowing and groups of people to a minimum. We appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding and generosity during this pandemic.
Our Valley community is strong and resilient, and we are united in finding ways to help each other get through this challenging time. From folks creating face masks out of extra sewing material, to donations of toilet paper, to restaurants providing meals to our heroic frontlines and more, there are many stories of local businesses, non-profits and individuals reaching out in kindness and support. That’s what makes the Mat-Su Borough such a wonderful place to live, work, play and come together, and we all look forward to the day we can come together again…
For now, enjoy the melting snow, the coming spring, indoor/outdoor home projects and each other.
For more information about the landfill or recycling center, as well as hours of operation, visit www.matsugov.us/central-landfill or www.valleyrecycling.org.
Together, we will make it through, because together, we can turn this around!
