Author: Winneshiek Waste

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!

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!

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.

There is no rural garbage collection Friday, August 29th, as this is the 5th Friday of the month. The recycling center will also be closed on Monday, September 1st in observance of Labor Day. In addition, there will be no rural garbage collection at Locust on Monday.

Thanks for recycling!

-Winneshiek County Recycling

Interested in joining our team at Winneshiek County Recycling? We are accepting applications for Full Time Recycling Worker/Driver. Job descriptions and applications are available at the Winneshiek County Auditor’s Office and online at www.winneshiekcounty.iowa.gov.

Send completed applications to The Recycling Center, 2510 172nd Ave, Decorah, IA 52101 or email jkuboushek@co.winneshiek.ia.us.

Open until filled. EOE

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!

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!

Friendly Reminder!

Please place brown paper bags and brown craft paper in the CARDBOARD recycling containers, not the paper ones. They’re processed with cardboard – not regular paper.

Thanks for helping us recycle right!

Good Afternoon!

We wanted to send out a friendly reminder about the new rural waste schedule that went into effect on January 1st of this year. In addition to some holidays, there will be no waste collection on any 5th Thursday or Friday of the month. For January this year, that means there is no collection on Thursday, January 30th and Friday, January 31st.

In addition to every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, rural waste collection only takes place during the first four Thursdays and Fridays of each month.

In addition to some holidays, there will be NO rural waste pick up on the following dates in 2025:

Thursday, January 30

Friday, January 31

Thursday, May 29

Friday, May 30

Thursday, July 31

Friday, August 29

Thursday, October 30

Friday, October 31

To see the 2025 rural waste schedule, please click here.