BRAINERD — While a little fresh snow puts a chill on spring, it will soon be time for spring cleaning in earnest and an opportunity to recycle.
Monday marks the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, providing a focus on doing more for the environment. Looking at the broader issues can be daunting in terms of solutions, but there are options for families and individuals to make a difference whether picking up trash, keeping plastics out of area lakes and roadsides, or simply making the effort to recycle and properly dispose of garbage.
Free recycling is offered at the Crow Wing County Landfill. The landfill also accepts yard waste for free for residents to dispose of leaves, brush, branches, tree limbs, logs, vines and prunings.
Last summer, Crow Wing County opened its new year-round Recycling Center at the county landfill, 15728 State Highway 210, located about 7 miles northeast of Brainerd. The Recycling Center provides residents with an organized and easy drop-off for household hazardous waste and a line of specific bins to recycle paper, magazines and phone books, as well as cardboard, glass bottles and plastics No. 1-6. Cardboard boxes should be flattened along with plastic milk and soda bottles.
ADVERTISEMENT
Along the perimeter are sites organized by area for things like tires, appliances, propane containers, air-conditioners and scrap metal.
The county Recycling Center offers a free reuse program for residents to pick up paint or cleaning supplies and other items in good condition and in original containers that may still be used.
The Household Hazardous Waste facility at the landfill takes in items that could be environmental or health hazards and disposes of them properly. Items include drain cleaner, ether, gasoline, pesticides, pool chemicals, mercury thermostats, fire extinguishers, household cleaners, oil, aerosols and other items like that suspicious liquid found in an unmarked container tucked away in a basement. The Household Hazardous Waste facility takes those products at no charge to county residents. Items must have a closed lid and cannot be in plastic bags.
Light bulbs, ice melt, ink cartridges, electric vehicle car batteries and empty or dried-out containers are not accepted. The dried-out containers can be disposed of as trash.
Residents pay $25 in special assessments for the county’s recycling activities, which works toward keeping items out of the landfill and protecting the area’s natural resources.
There are fees for some disposal, with opportunities to recycle them, such as clean mattresses or electronics. Tires are recycled and can be disposed of for $2 for a tire with no rim that is 15 inches or smaller or $3.50 for one the same size with a rim. A computer can be recycled for $5. A TV, 27 inches or smaller, may be recycled for a $10 fee. Larger TVs have a fee of $15.
To help encourage the use of the landfill’s options, Crow Wing County provides a voucher, mailed to residents, to be used to dispose of items that have a fee. This year the county raised the voucher to $20. In past years, even with tens of thousands of vouchers mailed along with information about the landfill, only a small percentage were used.
ADVERTISEMENT
In 2018, 41,327 coupons were mailed and 4,712 were redeemed for a usage rate of 11%. In 2023, 41,248 were mailed and 5,653 coupons redeemed at the landfill for a usage rate of 14%. The county is hoping for a return of at least 15% this year as 42,648 coupons are expected to be mailed.
So on this Earth Day — or as residents embark on spring cleanup or buy or sell a home, are tasked with cleaning out a garage or basement or are just getting rid of things that no longer work — there is an option to do that and benefit the environment and it’s just down the highway.
Landfill hours
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from November to March.
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday from April to October.
Items to recycle or properly dispose of at the landfill
- Household Hazardous Waste,
- Mattresses,
- Electronics,
- Oil/oil filters/antifreeze,
- Residential recycling such as cardboard, paper, plastic, and glass. For more recycling locations visit www.crowwing.gov/734/Recycling .
- Lead-acid car/marine batteries. People are asked to keep batteries separated from other waste.
- Demolition materials,
- Large appliances,
- Tires with or without rims,
- Scrap metal,
- Residential compost, lawn, and garden material,
- Brush and branches. Must be separated from compost.
To view the landfill and recycling fee schedule, visit www.crowwing.gov/727/Fee-Schedule . Residents can contact the Solid Waste Office at 218-824-1010 or visit www.crowwing.gov/landfill for more information.
ADVERTISEMENT
2021 landfill numbers
- 53,168 tons of municipal solid waste,
- 24,192 cubic yards of brush,
- 15,137 cubic yards of yard waste,
- 9,980 cubic yards of demolition waste,
- 9,605 tires,
- 7,396 electronics,
- 4,972 appliances,
- 2,309 mattresses,
- 1,743 gallons of used oil,
- 695 lead batteries.
About Earth Day
“On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward,” EarthDay.org reported on its website. “The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Earth Day is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event each year.
“Earth Day 1970 led to the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter @DispatchBizBuzz.
The Trust Project
