OREGON — With the new year upon us, the Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department would like to remind people about comingled recycling procedures in Ogle County.
Many everyday household items can be recycled very easily here in Ogle County, but unfortunately, some items are not recyclable, and if placed into recycling containers, add cost and effort to the process. Items that are definitely recyclable include all newsprint, magazines, catalogs, phone books, paperback books, school/ office paper, construction paper, junk mail, greeting cards, paper gift wrap, paperboard boxes, food and beverage cartons, clean, flattened cardboard boxes, plastic jugs, bottles, and containers #1-5 and #7, glass bottles and jars, and steel and aluminum food and beverage containers.
Items placed into recycling containers that are not accepted or recyclable raise the cost of recycling by filling up trucks or containers sooner, requiring more frequent trips to the recycling center. Contaminants must be sorted out at the recycling facility and get sent to the landfill, adding additional transportation and costs to the program.
Contamination

Common items resulting in contamination include plastic shopping bags, shredded paper, soiled paper plates and pizza boxes, broken glass, hangers of all types, plastic toys, hoses, windows, fish tanks, used oil and fuel containers, electronic items, shoes, and clothing. If we can keep contamination rates low, we can make recycling in Ogle County cheaper and more effective.
All of your recyclable items can go into one container, all mixed together. This is comingled, or single-stream recycling. These materials will be separated later at the processing facility.
If you have residential curb-side recycling, place all of your recyclables into the container together and set it out for pick-up. If you require extra containers, contact your local hauling company for an additional container, or designate a spare garbage can for extra recyclables.
 If you live in an area which does not have curb-side service, or live in a multi-family property, the OCSWMD maintains five drop-off recycling containers around the county. These containers are located in Forreston, Monroe Center, Byron, Oregon, and Rochelle.
There is also a recycling container provided by Advanced Disposal at the Orchard Hills landfill in Davis Junction, and a container in Polo provided by Moring Disposal. Contact the OCSWMD for specific locations of these containers.
If using the containers mentioned above, they are for residential recycling only, no business-generated material please. Also, please flatten all cardboard boxes and crush plastic jugs, then replace cap. These simple steps can preserve room in the container and allow more people to recycle.
Please only place accepted materials into the container, this also preserves room in the bin, and lowers the cost of the program. If the bin is full, there are push-sticks to pack in materials. If this will not work, please return later with your recyclables. Do not leave items on the deck or parking lot. Doing so creates litter and jeopardizes the recycling program. The containers will be emptied within 24 hours when full.
Recycling is easy here in Ogle County. If you have questions about your recycling, locations of drop-off containers, or to report a full container, or problems at the site, please call the OCSWMD at 815-732-4020 or visit www.oglecounty.org.