Sept 17th meeting guest speaker was Rob Coburn from Myers Waste and Recycling. Rob is a member of St Albans Rotary and described the major fundraisers put on by his local Rotary: Dragonboat Cardiac Challenge - raises $120,000 for the hospital
Lucky Duck - participants buy plastic ducks which are placed in the town fountain. The Mayor of St Albans picks the winning ducks.
St Albans Home show - raised $59,000 last year
Rob then shared a history of Myers , which is the largest public trash hauler and the only certified construction debris hauler in the state. Since 2014 Myers has diverted 80,000 tons of construction debris to a recycling center. Additionally, the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility), handles sorting all household recyclables. MRF is expanding in 2026. One of the challenges facing waste disposal companies is the capacity of Vermont’s only landfill in Coventry. There are roughly 20 years left before the site is full. Alternatives to the landfill are under consideration:
- Shipping waste - considerations include greenhouse emissions and cost
- Extending landfill - permitting , public opinion and cost are obstacles
- Divert more material to slow the fill rate
Current legislation for recycling is not enforceable and compliance is expensive for businesses and venues. Myers pays fines for contaminated recyclables and /or trash.
Currently there are no considerations for trash incineration (done successfully in Europe and in NYS in a few locations). Permitting, public opinion and cost would be barriers to implementation.
Myers will look into diverting glass material to Glavel , a local company that recycles glass to gravel . Glavel imports glass from Canada currently.
The future of waste treatment will involve technological advances, more recycling,developing a zero waste culture and cutting packaging volume.
Interested in learning what to recycle and where ? Go to CWSD.org
Club news- Food drive netted1400 lbs of food and $581 in donations.
The communication committee is looking for desired content suggestions to the newsletter. Contact Donna Johnson
ANNOUNCEMENTS/ UPCOMING EVENTs
Feed our Starving Children 10/18 at ADL in Essex Junction. Contact Amy Jackman , Youth committee
Pumpkin Pallooza - Maple St. Park , we have a tent where we hand out candy
10/22 - 3-4pm Pumpkin carving
10/25 - 2:45 til 8pm Volunteer to hand out candy - (2 hour shifts)
See Max Seaton
Food Pantry - 10/13 and 10/23 distribution dates. Contact Sharon Dettenrieder
The Environment Committee will participate in the Window Dressers Community Build of storm window inserts used to cut energy costs. Contact Greg Morgan for more information.
The Communication Committee needs a person who is comfortable working in ClubRunner, the Club website and the club Facebook page. This person would ideally have 5 or more years in the club as well. Contact Donna Johnson for more information.
The next meeting is a social on October 15, 2025 at 5pm at First Republic. There will be pizza and good conversation .