Winneshiek County Recycling Needs Your Help!

We love the committment to recycling, but we need your help! Recently, our recycling center has faced challenges with improper sorting and non-recyclables finding their way into the bins. This poses serious risks to our hardworking staff, especially when heavy items mix with lighter materials like paper. Large pieces of scrap metal need to be taken directly to the recycling center drop off shed and placed in the SCRAP METAL bin.

This not only jeopardizes the safety of our team but also increases the need for additional pickups, consuming more time and fuel. When people throw plastic waste in our paper bin, it fills up a lot faster and the plastic needs to be removed and taken to a different area in our facility. In addition, many of the plastics we have seen lately are not recyclable here.

At this time, we can only accept hard plastics marked with a triangle containing a #1 or a #2. There should be no liquids or food waste in these containters, and we do not take plastic bags or bubble wrap. Our dedicated staff shouldn’t have to sort through trash – that’s not their role! Before you throw something in the recycling bin, think about the folks that will have to handle that item when it arrives at the facility.

Trash belongs in the landfill, not the recycling bin. If you have a recyclable item, please ensure it goes in the correct container! Let’s work together to keep our recycling center safe and efficient. Sort wisely as we head into the new year! Thanks to everyone that recycles responsibly. You are the reason we can provide this service!