Expo puts focus on environment

RODMAN — This year's open house at the solid waste management facility is moving from the operation of the landfill to ways people can reduce the amount of trash they're sending.

The Development Authority of the North Country will host the open house and environmental expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the facility on Route 177.

"It's been more of a technical open house where we talk about how we built and run the facility," said E. William Seifried, facility manager. "This year, we will talk more about the environment, being green and how to reduce the amount of waste that is coming into the landfill."

As in previous years, DANC staff will lead 20-minute tours of the facility.

The site of the landfill's methane gas-to-energy plant will be part of the tour, but the heat and noise preclude visits inside.

This year, about 20 different entities and vendors will talk about the "three Rs" — reduce, reuse, recycle — as well as composting, energy conservation and agricultural plastics recycling.

"At the landfill, a positive to that is that the landfill will last longer," Mr. Seifried said. "In the past, our role has been the disposal of waste, but now our role is changing a little bit. We're promoting more 'reduce, reuse, recycle' with our partners."

The program for this year's open house fits in with DANC's overall recycling initiative, which encourages the authority to recycle and now works with communities.

"It's easier to ask people to do things if you're setting a good example in already doing them," Mr. Seifried said. "Education is the place you have to start and the open house is a good place to educate."

During the open house, professional biologists will lead nature walks in the landfill's northern buffer zone at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The public also can view multimedia presentations and see Rick West's birds of prey program.

The nonprofit 4 River Valleys Historical Society will sell food and beverages.

For more information on the event, contact event coordinator Valerie Deon at 232-3236, ext. 223, or vdeon@danc.org.