FRISCO — Continuing along its path toward sustainability, the town of Frisco has updated the Main Street information center with some new “green” features.

From now on, paper towels in the public restrooms on 3d Avenue can be tossed into a separate bin that will end up in the county's recycling operation.

“The paper towels are compostable, which means they will get mixed with the big compost pile at the landfill and be turned into useable organic material that can be added to soil for growing gardens or landscaping,” said information center manager Cristi Eckert.

The county has been composting for about a year and is starting to sell the product for landscaping. The main ingredients so far are wood chips from beetle-killed trees and bio-solids from local wastewater treatment plants. But the program managers would like to start adding other materials, including food scraps from local restaurants.

The Frisco information center and other town buildings have also switched to using foam soap. According to Eckert, the move saves water, since the foam doesn't take as long to rinse off. The soap and other products used in the restrooms are Green Seal Certified (environmentally responsible products), another aspect of making a difference with one small action at a time.

The building has also been upgraded with energy-saving light fixtures and a more efficient boiler. The boiler reduces the amount of energy used and the sensory switches for the lights turn on when motion or sound are detected — which have replaced the old lighting that stayed on all the time.

“When it comes to recycling even a small change in what you do or what you think can make a difference,” Eckert said. “These small changes over time can become big changes.”

Frisco has installed energy-efficient light fixtures throughout town-owned buildings, boilers have been upgraded to more efficient models, and a solar-run hot water system was installed this year at town hall.

The town also made a big push toward zero-waste at special events this summer, focusing on educating visitors through outreach.

Big picture

In the bigger picture, recycling operations are still facing enormous challenges, said Carly Wier, director of the High Country Conservation Center.

Nationally, the overall recycling rate has stagnated at about 30 percent. Even though individuals and communities are recycling more, there's also a flood of new products and packaging that makes it hard to keep up, Wier said.

A recent change in the plastics recycling policy in Summit County is one example of that dilemma. The decision to stop accepting certain types of plastic ended up being a headache for consumers and for the recycling center, which was flooded with calls about the change.

Fluctuating commodity prices and volumes are also factors. A downturn in the overall level of waste at the Summit County landfill during the past year, as well as big drops in the prices for some recyclable materials, led to an increase in some recycling fees and a discussion about how to finance recycling operations in the long-term.

Another challenge is at the point of recycling, when consumers are faced with products and bins that aren't clearly marked. It's not always easy to know which item goes where.

Wier said part of the problem is that recyclers aren't involved at the front-end of the process. When manufacturing and packaging decisions are made, recycling the products at the end of their useful life is sometimes just an afterthought.

For more information on energy-saving measures underway at the Frisco Information Center, please contact Cristi Eckert at cristie@townoffrisco.com. High Country Conservation Center's website is at www.highcountryconservation.org.