In Lyon County, we currently recycle only about 37% of our paper and paper products, which means an alarming 63% is discarded as waste.

Most individuals are familiar with the types of paper that can be recycled, including newspapers, magazines, junk mail, office paper, school assignments, and the inserts found in catalogs. In the past, shiny advertisements were considered non-recyclable, but advancements in technology have changed that narrative and for the past number of years, we can recycle this type of paper too.

Moreover, we encourage you to expand your recycling efforts beyond conventional paper items. Brown grocery bags, beer and soda cases, cake boxes, cereal boxes, pizza boxes, broth boxes, drink boxes, catalogs, juice cartons, and milk cartons are all recyclable too. Just ensure items that had food in them are clean and empty before placing them in your curbside bin or drop-off location.

Let us not overlook the often-ignored items in the recycling spectrum: toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, toothpaste boxes, empty tissue boxes, cardboard egg containers, and makeup boxes can all be recycled.

Reuse is also a powerful tool in reducing waste. Clean egg cartons can be reused at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, while toilet paper and cereal boxes may be donated for creative school projects. Cardboard egg cartons can be composted, and if you are interested in gardening, newspapers and cardboard can serve as excellent mulch. For more details, give our office a jingle.

It is important to note that shredded paper cannot be placed in curbside recycling bins. Instead, please take it to the Lyon County Household Hazardous Waste Facility for free disposal; it cannot be effectively recycled due to the difficulty of sorting it. Books are also a no-go in Lyon County. If thrift stores will not take your books, the Household Hazardous Waste Facility will take them for free of charge. Books cannot be recycled due to the glue in the binding of the book.

For those needing secure document shredding, we have partnered with Rock County Opportunities to provide a drop-off location for individuals interested in this service, which incurs a small fee. Please stop by the Household Hazardous Waste Facility or call us for more details.

Please note that paper towels and napkins are not recyclable; they should either be discarded or composted. Mixed paper items such as Pringle cans or baby formula cans cannot be recycled. Mixed paper items such as these will need to be thrown away. Other paper type items that cannot be recycled are paper cups, paper plates, napkins, facial tissue, books, wrapping paper, toilet paper, receipts, address or stick label paper, photographs, wax paper, and mail pouches (unless they are 100% the same material and are made out of paper).

Thank you residents for your continued efforts to flatten cardboard and remembering not to bag recycling. We are finding the following items in recycling which are not recyclable: plastic toilet seat lids, plastic shopping bags, pet food bags, plastic solar salt bags, plastic mulch bags, and plastic flower pots. These items are all trash with the exception of the plastic shopping bags which could be recycled at the store. These items should never be placed into recycling.

If an item is not paper, cardboard or a clean, empty food container, it does not belong in recycling. While there are some alternative disposal services, most items are trash.

For more information regarding recycling or disposal, please call the Lyon County Environmental Department at (507) 532-8210 or Lyon County Landfill at (507) 865-4615.