On the last Saturday of every month (except when it falls on Christmas Day) volunteers organized by the Rossmoor Homeowners Association gather at the Rush Park parking lot on Blume Drive to load up to three of those big blue bins full of newspapers and other waste paper products (books, magazines, cardboard, etc.) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Typically, they load from 10 to 15 tons in five hours, which makes for tired bodies at the end of the day.
The Paper Drive started with collection of 15,500 pounds in July of 1995.
As of September 2009, the total collection was over 3,500 tons or 7,000,000 pounds.
This sustained effort is an outstanding example of volunteerism and has contributed much to protection of our environment and to the quality of life in Rossmoor.
Total volunteer time is estimated to be over 5,600 hours and resource savings have been equivalent to over 53,600 35-ft tall trees and 12,900,000 kilowatt hours of electrical energy (enough to power about 1,580 homes for a year).
And, of course, after expenses we have generated over $100,000 in funds that have been used for:
• Purchase of construction of the Rush Park Tot Lot
• Purchase of parkway trees
• Purchase of equipment and construction of the kitchen at Rush Park
• Purchase of equipment and construction of the Triangle Park outside the wall at the southeast corner of Rossmoor
• Payment for painting house numbers on curbs every two years to help emergency responders to find homes
• Support of Rossmoor’s annual picnics and other community wide projects
• Landscaping upgrade of the Rush Park Auditorium access area.
• Donations to youth groups supporting the paper drive
Another valuable benefit of the Paper Drive continues to be as a source of opportunity for high school student volunteers to accumulate community service hours that are valuable in college applications.
The RHA believes this also makes everyone who participates or contributes paper aware of the importance of volunteerism.
Shirley Bailey, Jim Alexander, Larry Pace and Mike Davis have energized and sustained the Paper Drive and continue to be a valuable resource in guiding our effort and infusing enthusiasm.
The CR&R waste management company has been very supportive of our effort, providing the bins for the paper and hauling the bins at no cost to the RHA. Currently Bill Gekler continues as coordinator for the Paper Drive.
How can you help Rossmoor continue to be a leader in recycling? In recent months collections have dropped.
Therefore, the RHA is asking all Rossmoor residents who are not currently bringing their papers to the Paper Drive to consider doing so. Some factors contributing to the drop in collection are smaller (thinner) newspapers, the use of Internet and TV as the source of news and information, and increasing curbside collection of newspapers by other persons in Rossmoor.
The RHA reminds everyone that curbside collections are not sponsored by RHA and contribute nothing to the RHA’s efforts to maintain the Rossmoor quality of life.
If you wish to contribute to the Paper Drive and cannot make it to Rush Park on the last Saturday of each month contact Bill at RHAPaperDrive@aol.com or call the RHA at (562) 799-1401 and he will suggest alternatives that make sure your waste paper recycling efforts contribute to the quality of life in Rossmoor and to improving the environment.
Please make sure that your papers and the money raised from their collection continues to help improve our wonderful community.
Bill Gekler is a member of the Rossmoor Homeownes Association board of directors.
