BILLINGS — Earth First Aid Recycling in Billings faces a weekly challenge as overflowing bins over the weekend create cleanup headaches for staff who arrive Monday morning.
Paul Schultz, office manager at Earth First Aid, said the weekend overflow has become a predictable problem despite posted signs asking residents not to overfill containers when staff is unavailable.
Click here to learn more:
"It's the first thing we do Monday morning," Schultz said. "It doesn't matter if it's raining or snowing or there's ice on everything, there's stuff on the ground."
The facility serves as one of the only options for recycling drop off in the City of Billings.
"There's a huge need," Schultz said. "We get 1,000 people a week here dropping off stuff."
Residents like Ray Gilbertson recognize the importance of recycling efforts, even when faced with overflowing bins.
"People in America generate so much garbage," Gilbertson said Monday afternoon. "What little can be recycled and what little anybody can do, I think they ought to do it."
The weekend overflow creates frustration for both staff and environmentally conscious residents.
"Recycling is everybody's responsibility," Schultz said. "It's not that we don't want the stuff. We just don't want it on the ground."
Schultz described the Sunday aftermath as disheartening, noting that some weekends produce even larger piles than others.
When MTN showed Gilbertson a video submitted by a viewer showing the overflow, he was surprised.
"Honestly, I'm shocked at how much had piled up here in just over a weekend," Gilbertson said. "It does give you an idea of how much garbage people produce."
The city of Billings provides limited recycling services, collecting cans in designated dumpsters and offering monthly cardboard collection, which has helped reduce some of the burden on private facilities.
"That's really helped as far as cardboard. It used to be a lot worse," Schultz said.
The limited municipal options leave Earth First Aid as one of the few comprehensive recycling drop-off locations for residents, which leads to the messy cleanup every Monday morning.
Gilbertson said he's appreciative of the service and that he's not sure what could be changed to help, other than staffing employees on the weekend.
"I don't know how these guys can alleviate the problem other than staying open seven days a week," Gilbertson said.
