McGinnis’ views on recycling are off
I am responding to the offensive article in the Mirror featuring comments from Rep. John McGinnis regarding recycling mandates in Pennsylvania.
I am now retired from Penn State. While employed, I was the program manager of the labor and equipment and municipal solid waste program.
In regards to the success of Penn State’s waste programs, I consider myself nobody. All of the success of our programs at Penn State I attributed to the great men and women of the labor/equipment and waste teams, the university community and all the great Penn State leaders.
Our recycling program took me across the country as people wanted to know how we managed our waste with the size of our crew and size of our waste stream. Mr. Nobody was invited to many universities in the United States. The high point of my career was consulting for West Point and the Pentagon.
The leaders at these institutions wanted to know how we did what we did. I shared with pride and always gave credit to the individuals mentioned above.
To have a person who represents our state say, and I quote, “recycling is nonsense,” and was “nonsense put out by hippies of the ’60s” is most disappointing and inappropriate.
I am now consulting in Pennsylvania and beyond and share my perspectives on waste diversion.
A good example of waste diversion and beneficial savings is the Trash to Treasure (T2T) program that takes landfill bound waste which is now donated by Penn State students. The donated materials are sold in Beaver Stadium and all profits benefit the Centre County United Way. The T2T program to date has raised $900,000 for the United Way.
The waste went from a landfill cost to a donation to the United Way. The dollars raised support the United Way agencies that provide health and human services.
Part of my motivation was due to the fact that I grew up in a coal mining town south of Pittsburgh. We were poor, and where we lived was a punch line in the community.
My parents coached me, and because of them, I was accepted into college on a phone call. Because we were poor, I did not apply anywhere and my guidance counselor got me all the money I needed, and made the call in March of my senior year.
Mom and Dad were right.
To have a state representative label me as a hippie and my life’s work “nonsense” stings. I wonder how many times John McGinnis has managed waste programs?
To make the statements that he did in the Mirror article can only be credible if he gained experience from managing waste programs and processes.
Albert Matyasovsky Jr.
Houtzdale