America Recycles Day is Friday, which means it's time to both pat ourselves on the back, and to get an education.
We can compliment ourselves for the progress that has been made in recycling in this country the past 25 years or so. Europe was far ahead of us in this regard, but Americans are making up for lost time.
Unfortunately, there still remains much confusion over exactly what can and should be recycled.
In Olmsted County, trash haulers say they're seeing more and more trash making its way into recycling bins, which contaminates loads of otherwise recyclable paper, glass and plastics.
That, in turn, slows down the entire process and makes for an additional expense.
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Recycled items can be disposed of at the curb or at the Olmsted County Recycling Center. However, the list of what goes where is slightly different.
At the curbside: aluminum and steel cans; paper (newspapers, mail, cereal boxes, magazines, flattened cardboard); plastic bottles and containers marked with No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5; glass food and beverage bottles and jars; empty food and beverage cartons. Do not put plastic bags, batteries, shredded paper, needles and tanglers (extension cords, hangers, etc) into recycling.
Many of those items can be taken to the recycling center, but they have to be sorted in advance. For now, plastic bottles No. 1 and No. 2 are accepted, and the county will start taking plastic bottles No. 5.
The recycling center also takes clean scarp iron, aluminum, copper, brass and stainless steel.
What are the plastic bottle designation? No. 1 includes soda and water bottles, cooking oil bottles and salad dressing bottles. No. 2 includes milk jugs, shampoo bottles, butter tubs and detergent bottles. No. 3 includes yogurt tubs, (orange) medicine containers, and plastic caps from soda bottles.
All if this might be confusing, which is why the county is starting an educational campaign to clarify recycling efforts.
At one time, a campaign to get Americans into the recycling habit seemed quixotic. But the fact that haulers and county officials are offering advice and clarification on which items can be recycled is evidence that interest exists.
Citizens have proven receptive to learning about recycling. And they are enthusiastic about recycling. That's good news for all of us as we approach America Recycles Day.
