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CURB’s her enthusiasm

Posted on | May 21, 2009 | 1,913 views |

FOD staffer heads a Clintonville group dedicated to a greener community

by Julia Harris

For Peggy Barylak, senior human research consultant with Facilities Operations and Development, green has been a favorite color - and way of life - for a lot longer than it’s been a social and political movement.

In fact, hers has been a decades-long crusade that has changed habits and opened eyes about recycling and environmental issues for residents of Clintonville and beyond.

As president of CURB (Clean Up and Recycling Backers) Inc. of Clintonville, Barylak knows more than a little about the ins and outs of recycling.

 She knows, for instance, how many different types of commonly used plastics there are (seven), whether or not Styrofoam is recyclable (it’s not) and what the difference between Kroger grocery bags and Target shopping bags are (Kroger bags are made from No. 2 plastic and are recyclable, whereas Target bags are made of No. 4 plastic and are not).

“I think people are more surprised by what’s not recyclable than by what is,” she said. “Styrofoam is a huge problem because it’s made from No. 6 plastic, and there is no facility equipped to handle the chemical process of recycling that. It’s actually the biggest problem in our recyclable dumpsters.”

Her zeal and experience translate well to her professional position with Ohio State, as FOD works to train its custodial staff to deal with the recycling containers cropping up across campus.

Barylak, bright-eyed and well heeled in a crisp blue suit for her day job, presents a far different picture on many Saturday mornings at Indianola Plaza. There, she and a handful of fellow volunteers staff the recycling bins at the edge of the parking lot and help residents sort out their recyclables.

They’ve been doing it for 25 years.

“Back when this started, you had to separate everything: Brown glass, white glass, blue glass… Newspapers couldn’t have any glossy pages in them,” Barylak recalled.

“We had dozens of volunteers in the beginning to help sort through things, but it’s gotten easier now with the all-in-one containers like we have on campus.”

These days, Barylak said, she and her army of helpers mainly help elderly residents who come with questions about what they can and can’t recycle and who may need help hoisting bulky bags or other items out of their cars.

In between assisting folks with their recyclables, the CURB volunteers often go “dumpster diving” to remove aluminum cans, scrap metal, magazines and other reusable items.

Finding ways to reuse items they unearth in the course of their labors - rescuing current magazines to distribute to nursing homes, for example - is one of many sources of satisfaction volunteers get from what can otherwise be a pretty gritty job.

And for that pesky Styrofoam that bedevils Barylak so much, plans are afoot to reuse it as packing material for a local affiliate of Dixie International, a wholesale motorcycle distributor.

Of course, not all of the “good stuff” gets given away. Over the years CURB has been in operation, the organization has garnered an increasing pot of funds through recycling cans and newspapers. Barylak estimates the group pulls in between $10,000 and $12,000 a year for its efforts.

“Our mission has always been about the conservation of resources, so we started to think about using this money for some kind of public interest,” Barylak said. “The first thing we did was purchase recycled plastic benches and picnic tables for Whetsone Park. And we’ve given to places like the Salvation Army and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, as well as to local families who need help paying rent or meeting expenses.”

Other ways CURB gives to the community is to provide conservation education to local schools. “I’m always shocked by what these students don’t know about recycling,” Barylak said. “I mean, this is 2009 - shouldn’t we be starting to see people who know what this is all about?”

Her own passion for conservation began early, with her experience of life on a farm. Everything was reused, she said; it was a way of life.

“To me it’s pretty much a moral obligation to keep this planet as sustainable as possible,” she said. “I tell people, reuse whatever you can and if you’re not sure if something is recyclable, go ahead and recycle it. We’ll sort it out.”

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