Author: Winneshiek Waste

Decorah Recycling Collection Site Moving on Friday, January 30th

Please note that the Decorah recycling bins currently located in the lot near Decorah City Hall will be moved on Friday, January 30th.

New Location:
Goose Island Dr – behind the Army Reserve and across the street from the Decorah softball field. You will need to enter the site from the north side off of Goose Island Dr.

To help with the transition, here is a map displaying the old location and new location.

Image contains the new location of the Decorah recycling collection site.
New location and old location of Decorah recycling collection site.

 

The bins are being moved to allow room for the construction of the new elementary school.

Thank you for your patience and for continuing to recycle responsibly!

In addition to this news, we would also like to remind folks of the following rules when using the Winneshiek County Recycling collection sites.

Please review the details below in regards to using the roll off bins:

CARDBOARD BINS
• Cardboard that tears brown
• Brown paper goes in these bins
• Flatten all cardboard (Prevents hauling air and keeps bins from filling too fast)

COMBO BIN
PLASTIC & METAL SECTION
• HARD plastics only stamped #1 or #2
• Tin cans
• Aluminum cans
• Items must be empty & dry
• NO food remnants

PAPER SECTION
• Paper that tears white
• Clean, dry paper only
• Avoid paper covered in wax (No paper cups or plates. They contain a wax coating.)

NO – DO NOT PLACE THESE ITEMS IN BINS AT THE COLLECTION SITES (Some are accepted ONLY at the recycling center)
• Non-recyclable materials
• Soft plastics (bags, wrap, film)
• Food or food-soiled items
• Scrap metal (Accepted ONLY at the Recycling Center)
• Glass (Accepted ONLY at the Recycling Center)

NO ITEMS ON THE GROUND
Placing items next to the bins is littering and against the law.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
The recycling site is a service provided by Winneshiek County Recycling. If the site is abused, it may be locked and drop-off limited to specific hours.

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECYCLING GUIDES AND ADDITIONAL RECYCLING INFORMATION:

PLEASE REACH OUT TO US IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS:

Email: recycling@co.winneshiek.ia.us
Phone: 563-382-6514
Message us on Facebook.

THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PART AND KEEPING VALUABLE MATERIALS OUT OF OUR LANDFILL!

Wrapping Paper, Brown Paper, and Holiday Hours

WRAPPING PAPER REMINDER:
Please note: we cannot accept wrapping paper for recycling, even if it is labeled “recyclable”.
Why?
  • Most wrapping paper contains coatings, dyes, glitter, foil, tape, or plastic fibers. These materials are not recyclable and are extremely difficult to separate from truly recyclable paper. Because of this, all wrapping paper ends up being thrown in the garbage when it reaches the sorting process.
Better (and greener) alternatives:
  • Reusable gift bags
  • Newspaper or comic pages
  • Brown kraft paper (decorate it with drawings or stamps!)
  • Reusable fabric wrap or scarves
These options help reduce waste and keep more material out of the landfill.
ANOTHER SORTING REMINDER: BROWN PAPER GOES IN THE CARDBOARD BINS:
  • This includes brown grocery bags and brown packaging paper
  • If you are not certain whether something is cardboard or paper, use the tear test! If you tear a box and it is white, consider it paper. If the tear is brown, place the item in cardboard. Please ensure there are no food remnants on these items!
Thanks for helping us at the recycling center 🙂 
Also, we are closed on the following dates for the holidays:
  • Wednesday, December 24th
  • Thursday, December 25th
  • Thursday, January 1st

 

Brown Bags mixed with paper.
Brown bags in the paper bin. These need to be placed in the cardboard bins instead.
Wrapping paper mixed with regular paper.
This wrapping paper was found in the paper bin. Please don’t put wrapping paper in our recycling bins. Place this in your garbage.
Wrapping paper mixed with regular paper.
This wrapping paper was found in the paper bin. Please don’t put wrapping paper in our recycling bins. Place this in your garbage.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Winneshiek County Recycling!

Remember, your pumpkins don’t have to go to waste! Instead of tossing them in the trash, try one of these options:

-COMPOST THEM! Pumpkins break down easily and make great compost. Just remove candles, paint, and decorations first. Smashing them up helps them decompose faster!

-FEED THEM TO FARM ANIMALS! Many local farmers are happy to take leftover pumpkins for their livestock. (Just be sure your pumpkins are natural – no paint, wax, or glitter.)

Another important reminder:

-CANDY WRAPPERS ARE NOT RECYCLABLE! Please toss them in your regular trash to keep our recycling loads clean and efficient.

Let’s keep those pumpkins out of the Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill and put them to good use!

Household Hazardous Waste

Do you know why we ask folks to bring their fluorescent light bulbs to the Recycling Center?

Those bulbs actually contain mercury, which means they need to be handled carefully to keep that hazardous material out of our landfill and environment. By bringing them to us, you’re ensuring they get recycled properly and safely.

Many appliances also contain hazardous materials. That’s why we accept those items too, so they can be processed the right way.

Sometimes, recycling those items safely comes with a cost. Certain materials (like paper, cardboard, and metals) bring in revenue for the County, but hazardous waste and specialized materials can cost us to dispose of properly. That’s why some items have a small recycling fee.

And here’s a helpful hint: cords are valuable! When you bring in electronics or appliances, please leave the cords attached. They help support our recycling program.

Thank you for doing your part to keep our county clean, safe, and sustainable!

Please Trash Your Trash

Happy Friday everyone! We wanted to send out a friendly reminder informing folks that trash does not belong in recycling containers.

Our recycling team relies on the public to sort materials properly; otherwise, it becomes a big problem for us. If there is too much trash mixed in with recyclable materials, our buyers can reject entire loads of product. Many of the items in the pictures below are products we cannot recycle (Chip bags, soft plastics, food remnants).

Please keep doing your part in ensuring these items end up in the correct bins. Many of you are doing a fantastic job, so keep up the good work!

***Please also ensure you are placing brown bags and brown paper in the cardboard bins.

Chip bags, soft plastics, and polystyrene in cardboard bin. Chip bags, soft plastics, and polystyrene in cardboard bin. Contamination in cardboard bin. Food remnants in cardboard bin. Chip bags, soft plastics, and polystyrene in cardboard bin.

NO STYROFOAM!

We cannot accept any type of Styrofoam at our facility. This includes packing peanuts and molded pieces often found in shipping boxes that contaminate the cardboard bales.

Polystyrene makes a huge mess when broken up, and we often don’t see it in boxes until our skid loader crushes it into tiny pieces that blow everywhere. Packing peanuts do the same. They scatter quickly and are very time-consuming for our staff to clean up.

Please help us out by:

  • Removing all polystyrene and packing peanuts before recycling your boxes. Please also flatten your boxes before placing them in the bins!
  • NOT placing materials on top of or next to the bins.
  • Putting all recyclables into the correct slots on the sides of the bins.

We appreciate your help in keeping our site clean and safe for everyone.

Please refer to the attached photos to see what happens when polystyrene isn’t removed…

Thanks for doing your part!

 

Packing peanuts inside a cardboard box.

Pieces of polystyrene on the floor. This was in a cardboard box and the box was smashed by the skid loader when pushing the cardboard.

Polystyrene found inside a large TV cardboard box.

Large TV cardboard box that polystyrene was found in.

Cardboard thrown on top of the cardboard bin at the drop off shed. These need to be placed inside the doors.

Cardboard thrown on top of one of the cardboard bins in the recycling drop off shed.

This cardboard bin was not even half full, but we still found cardboard placed on top of the bin.

Memorial Day Weekend Reminder

As you clean up and celebrate this weekend, please remember: rechargeable batteries DO NOT belong in your trash or recycling!

These batteries can spark fires in trucks, at landfills, and at recycling facilities – putting workers and the community at risk.

Instead, bring ALL rechargeable batteries directly to the Recycling Center and hand them to a staff member for safe disposal.

PLEASE NOTE: The Recycling Center and Landfill will be CLOSED on Memorial Day (Monday, May 26th).

Have a safe and responsible Memorial Day weekend!

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