I have been carrying guilt for a while now. One I didn’t expect. It’s about recycling and each time I put glass jars, plastic jugs and metal cans in the garbage I feel the weight bear down on me.

I thought there was a push across the United States to be more “green.” Not here, though. At least, that’s what I thought until I talked with executive director Cindy Eleson of Richland Opportunities Inc. The non-profit organization, which supports people with developmental disabilities vocationally and residentially, recycles aluminum cans, newspapers and cardboard while giving the people they serve “meaningful” work. They have been doing that for 18 years.

There are six designated drop-off areas where the ROI workers take recyclables. In Sidney there’s Pamida, Farm and Home, IGA and Johnson Hardware. In Fairview, Loaf and Jug and in Savage, Valley Fuel. In addition, almost 60 businesses give their leftover cardboard to the program. The group doesn’t recycle plastic. “We didn’t have the ability to granulate it. We didn’t have one of those and people weren’t rinsing them out,” Eleson said. The group has recycled about 250 tons thus far. Although I support the work that’s being done by the organization, I find it unusual that the county doesn’t have a program to pick up recyclables at residents’ homes. Why isn’t there a monthly fee to have that done? I mean, if recycling is as important as activists say, why isn’t it being done everywhere, like here?

In the interview I learned that it’s not a “Green Peace” issue here. It’s a financial issue. I neglected to think about the cost it takes to ship recyclables to places that have the means to do the recycling. The population is sparse throughout the county (and state) so it’s difficult to pick up resident’s recyclables and ship them to the cities that take them.

“It’s always been on us financially to process the newspapers/cardboard and we have never made money at it because of the wages we pay out and the upkeep of all the things in order to recycle,” Eleson said. In fact, Eleson said they might not even take cardboard anymore because the cost to ship it to Missoula is more than the profit. Missoula is the closest place where old cardboard is made into new boxes.

I realize there are probably more important issues floating around the county, but the environment is important, too. Why not take some of the oil money that everyone wants and put it into one more thing that will benefit generations to come? Charge a $4 fee each month that will go to fund the organization to help send the recyclables to Billings.

Maybe it’s more complicated than I think it is. Ultimately, the responsibility should not fall on the lap of a non-profit organization. It should be the state government’s responsibility and the county should see it through. I hate to sound cliché, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Louisa Barber is a reporter for the Sidney Herald. She can be reached at 406-433-2403 | reporter@sidneyherald.com