OREGON — The Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department (OCSWMD) would like to offer reminders about recycling in Ogle County. With global markets for recycling feedstock shrinking, it is more important than ever to recycle right.

The OCSWMD encourages all residents to recycle common household materials such as newsprint, clean cardboard, paperboard boxes, junk mail, magazines, catalogs, office paper, file folders, food and beverage cartons, aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles and jars and plastic items marked No. 1-5 and No. 7. 

Curbside recycling service is offered in the City of Rochelle.

Avoid placing trash in with your recyclables, as this ruins your recyclables and then they head to the landfill instead. 

The OCSWMD funds and maintains five comingled recycling bins in Ogle County. These bins are located in Rochelle (off of Caron Rd.), Byron, Forreston, Monroe Center and Oregon.  There is also a bin at the Orchard Hills Landfill in Davis Junction provided by Advanced Disposal and a bin in Polo provided by Moring Disposal. 

These bins are for use by those who do not have the convenience of curbside service, so if you have recycling pick-up at home, please refrain from using these bins to preserve space for those that need this service.

The same materials listed above can go into these bins. Please be sure to rinse out cans, bottles, and jugs, flatten all cardboard boxes, and flatten plastic bottles and jugs and replace the cap prior to placement into the bin.

With global recycling outlets shrinking, it is important that recyclables are seen as a valuable resource. Items placed in with recycling that are not accepted can contaminate the entire load of recyclables, sending all of the material to the landfill. 

Contaminates

Common contamination includes Styrofoam, soiled cardboard and paper plates, plastic bags, broken glass, construction and demolition debris, wire and cables (even coat hangers), vehicle parts, oil and gas containers, oil filters, hoses, electronics, textiles, toys and furniture. All of these items, and more, have been pulled from Ogle County recycling bins this year. While some of these materials might be recyclable somewhere, curbside or drop-off recycling containers are not the place for them.

Take the time to learn what can be recycled in Ogle County.  Just placing items into a recycling bin doesn’t mean that they get recycled. By introducing contamination into the recycling stream, it can result in higher hauling costs, less efficient recycling, and even sending the entire load of material to the landfill for disposal.

Check the Ogle County Facebook page, the Ogle County website at www.oglecounty.org or call 815-732-4020 for more information.