Let’s talk trash: the trash removed and/or recycled by volunteers who are saving Bandera County taxpayers money.
Recall that after recycling was stopped by Bandera County commissioners in 2020 during the pandemic, residents organized an effort to bring it back. They worked with Precinct 4 Commissioner Jody Rutherford to set up a receiving site next to Mansfield Park for the entire county.
The volunteers also began an effort to clear trash accumulation in the yards and homes of elderly and disabled residents with the cooperation of the Meals on Wheels program of Silver Sage.
At the same time, residents from the Bridlegate subdivision were petitioning for an adopt-a-county-road program. This year the program was initiated by the county.
These three projects became the basis for incorporating a nonprofit corporation to raise funds and organize volunteers to improve the Bandera County environment. What has been accomplished?
Recycling
DON’T MAKE WASTE BANDERA (DMWB) volunteers over the past year and a half have:
· Accepted 5,710 recycling drop-offs;
· Put in 1,580 hours in sorting and baling; and
· Obtained $16,000 in grants from H-E-B and KTB for equipment and repairs.
This volunteer effort has collected 50 tons of recyclables that would have otherwise gone into landfills:
· 86 bales of cardboard (39 tons);
· 39 bales of plastic bottles (3.3 tons); and
· 24 bales of aluminum cans (7.7 tons).
For the 30 tons of recyclables that were sold to date, $6,570 was collected, and after shipping and handling costs, $5,514 was returned to the county. It saved the county an estimated $893 in landfill fees. More importantly, it saved the county’s environment:
· 506 trees; · 122,039 KwHrs;
· 208,390 gals of water;
· 98 cu yds landfill; and
· 1,345 lbs of air pollution
The county’s 21 thousand residents are spread over 798 square miles. Those in the Lakehills area were not as likely to recycle, since they had to travel more than a half hour to the central recycling center next to Mansfield Park in Bandera. With the help of Keep Texas Recycling, DMWB received an H-E-B grant to design and build a trailer to collect, separate and transport recyclables from Lakehills to the Mansfield recycling center. In coordination with Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Grothues, volunteers are now working Saturday 9-12 and 1-4 at the Lakehills solid waste site (105 Ohio Ave.)
There was always the problem of repairs of the county equipment for baling the recycled materials. DMWB obtained a $5,000 grant from Keep Texas Beautiful to repair the balers and a $500 donation from the Bandera Electric Coop to purchase a pallet jack to move the bales.
More than 50 volunteers were responsible for rebuilding, recycling, repairing and replacing the equipment, and for raising funds to continue recycling in Bandera County. They will be appreciated in an event in the beer garden at The Brewery in Bandera on September 15, 3-5 pm. For details on the event email us at: dontmakewastebandera@ gmail.com
Roads
Bandera is more attractive to both residents and tourists because of the efforts of volunteers who pick up trash along the roads and highways. No one was more tenacious in organizing for road cleanups than Mike Stiborik. In 2022 he proposed that county commissioners sponsor an Adopt-a-County-Road program similar to the Adopt-a-Highway mode of TxDOT. The program was implemented by the county in 2024.
Mike died August 18, 2024. His wife, Linda, and his daughter, Nikki Trivett, celebrated his life in a ceremony Sunday in Houston. His Bridlegate Ranch neighbors plan to dedicate a 2-mile segment of the county’s Bottle Springs Road in front of their subdivision in his name.
Fall Sweep 2024 by Keep Texas Beautiful is now underway from now until Thanksgiving. Groups who wish to adopt a county road segment can receive supplies in the KTB Cleanup Kit: 30- & 45-gallon trash bags, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and litter grabbers. Just write Janus Olive, our KTB affiliate coordinator: dontmakewastebandera@ gmail.com The Wharton’s Dock Road Trash Pick Up is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 8 am -12 pm. Anyone wishing to volunteer should meet at the Madrona Ridge Subdivision Entrance.
Supplies provided. Contact: Dan Wethor at 830-688-1008.
Yards
DMWB is seeking donations and volunteers for cleanup of trash accumulation in the yards of elderly and disabled county residents. If you would like to volunteer, propose a cleanup site or make a donation to this effort, contact: Bob Brischetto at dontmakewastebandera@ gmail. com.
