Being GREEN and Recycling is Easy

High Plains Camping has been going GREEN for a long time now, and yet we rarely even think about the fact that we’re a GREEN business. From the day we bought the RV park we began implementing conservation techniques, such as fixing leaking toilets & faucets, installing better lighting, insulating the walls and pipes, and replacing water-hogging washing machines and inefficient furnaces and air conditioners (this list just touches the tip of the iceberg).

Eventually we began offering bins where guests could deposit their plastics, aluminum, and glass. I take those items and add them to a large collection of recyclable materials from the business itself, such as office papers, magazines, catalogs (Lord knows we get a ton of this in our mailbox, whether we want it or not), cardboard, and tin (again, just the tip of the iceberg).

For the guests who ask, I’ll take all of their recyclable materials beyond just the plastics, aluminum, and glass. I only tell them about those 3 because of a space problem for providing more bins, but when I’m asked I’ll have them bring in all their recyclables and I’ll put them directly into our sorting area (which is in an employee-only area).

About every 3 weeks I load up my mini-van and haul these to my county’s recycling center. It’s about a 20 mile drive, but I can always combine it with other errands I have to run. Talk about EASY!

About the only additional cost to the park was the cost of buying 3 small trash cans for the collecting bins. I can’t recall exactly, but I’m guessing that was about $15 total (in other words, it was not a big cost!).