Board President Julie Muyllaert reflects, looks forward
This season, naturally, is a time to pause and reflect on the year, as well as a time to look forward. This holds especially true for me this season, because my six year tenure on the Methow Recycles board is coming to a close. With that in mind, I'd like to share a few thoughts on the organization and the community of people that contribute to its success.
Methow Recycles is a community effort.
I can't imagine living in a community without recycling, and I know I share that value with you and the hundreds of people who donate time and money to help Methow Recycles not just survive, but thrive. While the sale and processing of recyclable materials covers a large percentage of Methow Recycles' operations, it is broad community support that allows Methow Recycles to expand its reach by accepting more materials, partnering with other organizations and facilitating recycling education. Looking forward, this will continue to hold true. Recycling markets have yet to stabilize since the recession. Continued wise governance and management, along with sustained community support, will ensure that Methow Recycles serves our community for many years to come.
Methow Recycles makes recycling easy.
The Methow Valley recycling landscape changed significantly this year. WasteWise began offering a comprehensive co-mingled hauling service, which significantly altered the manner in which Methow Recycles processes and sells much of the valley's recyclable material. Some organizations would have resisted such a big, unanticipated development. Not Methow Recycles. I'm very proud of the staff, volunteers and board of directors for embracing these changes as an opportunity to lean into our mission and help make recycling easier for more individuals and businesses.
The future of Methow Recycles is bright.
With change comes opportunities and questions. Does the Twisp drop-off center meet our community's current and future recycling needs? Does the community desire Methow Recycles to expand its program to include accepting and selling materials for re-use? What is the role of drop-off depots, like the one at Horizon Flats in Winthrop? With a solid foundation, a clear commitment to mission, and the engaged support of community, Methow Recycles is poised to answer these questions and more. I look forward to my new role as a volunteer and community supporter of Methow Recycles. The future is bright!