Randy, the Rochester Recycling Guru

Submitted by David B. Silker, Director of Facility Operations and Guest Services, Mayo Civic Center

Let me introduce you to Randy; a Rochester citizen who has taken it upon himself over recent years to sort through the recycling materials and trash following each of the Down By The Riverside concert events.   Randy stops into my office each summer at the beginning of the concert series and together we have worked out a cooperative arrangement where the Mayo Civic Center provides the recycling containers and bags, extra sorting containers and the larger collection containers that Randy uses to sort all the recyclables following each of the Sunday evening concerts.    

Pictured above is Randy with the Mayo Civic Center mixed recycling container with the mixed glass, plastic and tin from the final concert of the season.

Randy typically begins his sorting efforts at 10:00 PM on Sunday evening.  Working through the night, he completes his sorting effort by mid-day on Monday.  For the final concert of the season, he began at 10:00 PM on Sunday and worked continuously until concluding on Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 PM.  He reclaimed 64 pounds of aluminum from this one concert, which amounted to approximately 2,145 cans.  

Over the seven week concert series, he projected that he recycled 179 pounds of aluminum.  The funds collected from this recycling effort are donated to local charities.  

Admittedly, we do the easy part of the entire operation and full credit needs to be extended to Randy for his due diligence and work ethic to not only reclaim and sort the recyclables in Mayo Park but also restore the beauty of the park following these popular concerts.  

Credit also must be extended to the Park Maintenance staff (under the direction of Steve Lawson, Mike Schaber and Jacob Ryg), who when arriving on Monday morning; work with Randy to get any unclaimed trash bags to him for his sorting efforts.  In addition, Waste Management of Rochester; has cooperatively worked with my office to provide portable recycling containers that we place throughout Mayo Park for the guests attending the Sunday evening concert to use when in Mayo Park.   Waste Management of Rochester, picks up our facilities recycling materials on a weekly basis.  The Mayo Civic Center has three – four yard containers (two for flattened card board and one for mixed recyclables) that are picked up each week and sorted in their recycling facility.

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