Lawrence residents owe Wal-Mart their thanks for the recycling services the company provides at its South Lawrence store.

Wal-Mart has taken its share of hits from Lawrence residents recently. Opposition to a new Wal-Mart store proposed at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive has brought out many critics not only of the proposed new store but of general Wal-Mart business practices.

Hopefully the critics also will take notice of the contribution the Wal-Mart store on South Iowa Street has made to Lawrence’s recycling efforts.

In recognition of Earth Day, city officials put together some figures on how much trash Lawrence residents recycle. It turns out Lawrence is a leader in the state when it comes to recycling, and it seems that the community recycling center operated by Wal-Mart has played an important role in that success.

Last year, city-run recycling efforts kept 10,846 tons of trash out of the local landfill. That included more than 9,000 tons of grass clippings and lawn waste, about 700 tons of newspapers and 640 tons of cardboard. During the same time, the Wal-Mart Community Recycling Center collected 3,105 tons of trash. The center is owned by Wal-Mart, which contracts with Community Living Opportunities to operate the facility.

One of the important aspects of the Wal-Mart operation is that it accepts many recyclables that aren’t accepted anywhere else. With one stop, local residents can recycle glass, plastic milk jugs, plastic pop bottles, office paper, magazines, newspapers and other items at the Wal-Mart center.

This operation not only allows the community to be more environmentally conscious, it saves local taxpayers by decreasing the amount of trash that goes to the city-county landfill. In the long run, it also will delay the need to find new landfill space for city trash disposal.

The volume of material taken to the recycling center confirms that the community finds this a valuable and useful service. This is not a profitable venture for Wal-Mart, and the community should recognize the contribution the store makes to Lawrence by providing this service.