A Cleaner Community for its Residents
Blacksburg has always had a real sense of community. With the University, Virginia Tech, at its center, Main Street has become a real attraction and a friendly destination for all citizens of all ages. It’s a spot where locals and visitors alike can meander and get a feel for what Blacksburg has to offer. The newest undertaking for the tight nit community is a uniform recycling program for downtown businesses, which will hopefully expand to all businesses in Blacksburg. “A proposed plan for the program was presented to town council in November 2008 and, after that, work started on a detailed plan. In July, a plan was presented to the council with an update on the program, and he and other committee members are now working with town staff on implementation.”
Having lived in Blacksburg for three years now, I can truly appreciate small town living. I find myself driving on Main Street on a daily basis, going to the bank, getting my hair cut or stopping off to grab a drink. During the school year, Main Street sees so much high traffic flow of pedestrians that it just makes sense to start a uniform recycling program. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for the community as well.
The plan will involve a “pay as you throw” system for refuse collection with fees based primarily on the weight or volume of material discarded. This is a fare system for businesses because the more you use the more you pay, which encourages businesses to waste less. Instead of charging everyone the same amount, this will distribute costs more fairly to the people that waste a lot and those that don’t. The plan also involves placing public recycling receptacles at selected locations in the downtown area for pedestrian use. Some containers would be permanent, while additional containers could be set out during high foot-traffic periods, such as home football weekends. This will all help in keeping Blacksburg a clean and happy place to live.
All in all, Blacksburg has always been a forward thinking community and this is just one more thing where there doing their part to help the community and the environment.
- Paul Basto