The largest recycling program in Yakima!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it...” Psalm 24:1 N.I.V.

Keith Case, our recycling hero, was instrumental in putting together a recycling center at Wesley. Over the course of three decades, this recycling center is now the largest community recycling center in Yakima County. The program collected 30,000 pounds in 1980 and now collects 60,000 per month. Keith’s team has surpassed 5 million pounds of recyclables collected! Wesley has even been named a Greening Congregation by Earth Ministry, a Seattle-based nonprofit that promotes environmental stewardship to Christian churches around the Northwest. Click here to read the Yakima Herald article about this state honor.

Wesley's recycling center is located in the northwest corner of the church’s parking lot and accepts the following recyclable items:

• cardboard (please remove all styrofoam and other packing material and flaten box)
• newspaper
• magazines/catalogues
• clear plastic (water, pop bottles, etc.)
• milk containers
• aluminum cans
• tin cans (please remove labels)
• shredded paper (bagged)

Visit www.yakimarecycles.com to learn more or to get involved.

Our Recycling Heroes!

Recently the recycling crew here at Wesley was nominated “Yakima County Recycling Heroes!” They will receive the award at the commissioners meeting at 10 am on Tuesday, April 19th. Below is an excerpt from the nomination letter submitted by Mary Lou Schut.

This is strictly a volunteer group of men who for over 31 years have donated their time in this worthwhile project.  Wesley began this project in the year 1980 and has recycled a total of 7,314,462  pounds of newspaper, shredded paper, cardboard, plastic milk jugs, clear plastic water bottles, aluminum and tin cans in the 31 years of its recycling program.  Its primary purpose was to keep these items out of our landfills and serves as a money making project for the Church’s program also.

In its first year, 1980, they recycled 28,837 lbs. of material.  In 1989, after the first ten years they had recycled a total of 665,378 lbs.  In 1999 after 20 years they had recycled a total of 2,089,998 lbs.  In 2009 after 30 years, they had recycled 6,530,158 lbs.  This last year, 2010, they had a record year. They recycled 784,304 lbs. in 2010 totaling up to 7,314,462 lbs. of recyclable waste since they began in 1980.

This effort was started in 1980 by Keith Case, a previous recycling hero named by your committee.  He is still active in the program.  The other members who contribute many, many hours each week are Elmer Bigham, Dale Kingery, Bob Sullivan, Larry Patrick, Nick Nielson, Roger Short, Dave Heron, Gary Schemp, Ken Reeder, Paul Schafer, Lloyd Johnson, John Distler, Bob Braden, Allen Rogstad, Jim McLain, Omar & Brenda Arumbul and Dick Schut. There have been many other people over the last 31 years who have been associated with them.  This group of men is assisted occasionally during heavy weeks of recycling such as the holiday period by many other men and women plus young people and children of Wesley.  It has been a real joint effort on everyone’s  part and there is usually someone there at the site at different times during the 7 day a week time frame.

The side benefits of this project have been the great friendships and camaraderie, while greening our community, as well as the dollars they have raised for our church.