Thank you, Lyon County for your superhero efforts in 2024 with recycling and waste management. This year, we are diving into the whys and why-nots of recycling — why some items get a green light and others a big red stop sign. Plus, we will tackle how to properly bid farewell to those non-recyclables that residents are trying to dispose of.

This week’s recycling stars are aluminum cans and cardboard. These guys are not just easy to recycle; they are crucial. Aluminum cans can be transformed back into shiny new cans in about 60 days — now that is a speedy return. But remember, they need to be squeaky clean to be recycled. Right now, we are only collecting 40-45% of aluminum cans, meaning we are tossing away nearly half. Every can you recycle counts, so let us make it happen.

And do not forget about cardboard — flatten those boxes before they hit the recycling bin. During the holiday chaos, we see heaps of unflattened boxes turning drop sites into cardboard mountains. Cardboard can be recycled into new boxes or other paper goodies, but if it is dirty, it is a no-go. Please show your community spirit by emptying and flattening your cardboard boxes to save room for the next community member using the recycling containers.

Now, a little heads-up: Styrofoam and bubble wrap are not on the curbside or drop site recycling guest list in Lyon County. If you are drowning in Styrofoam, you can drop it off at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Marshall for free. Businesses with rigid Styrofoam, give the Environmental office a shout for details if you wish to pursue recycling your rigid Styrofoam.

Please note that the logo that is often located on all plastic items does not mean it is recyclable in our area. In fact, this logo only tells the recycling materials facility what kind of plastic that type of packaging is made from. It is not a recycling logo.

A good example of the confusion that this logo creates is with certain items like Styrofoam. Styrofoam can be collected by residents bringing it inside the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Marshall but it is not accepted for recycling in recycling carts or drop sites nor is it collected from these containers if residents place it in these containers. The main reason for this is that recycling collected in these containers are often hauled to a transfer station in Redwood Falls.

Let us talk about those pesky non-recyclables we spotted this month: plastic and metal coat hangers, Styrofoam, oil containers, electrical cords, leaves, branches, plastic wrap, and bubble wrap. Most of these are trash, except for leaves and branches, which need to hit your local compost site — no yard waste in the trash or recycling, folks.

A suggestion if you are looking to declutter your coat hanger collection, donate or give them away to thrift stores, and metal hangers can potentially find a new life at a metal recycler. Let us keep it green, Lyon County.

Curbside recyclers please note that we mailed the 2025 Curbside calendar out the middle of December. If you did not receive your calendar in the mail, please call us and we will gladly mail one to you. The curbside recycling calendar is also located on the front page of the Lyon County website as well as on the residential recycling page on the county website.