Minnesota recycles 41 percent of its trash and that admirable achievement is the second best rate of recycling in the country, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
That rate of recycling, however, has not increased significantly for 10 years.
That message is what the MPCA and Recycling Association of Minnesota want to get across in their effort to promote and reinvigorate recycling. The goal of the Recycle MORE Minnesota campaign is to increase the recycling rate to 50 percent by 2011. The MPCA estimates that 1.3 million tons of paper, plastic, glass and other material is trashed that could be recycled each year.
Koochiching County has a non-mandatory recycling policy with 13 drop off sites to serve nearly 15,000 residents.
Dale Olson, Koochiching County Environmental Services Department, said he gets calls from “dedicated recyclers” that are discouraged with rumors that the county is grinding up recycled materials and dumping them in landfills.
“The truth is, the county’s recycling program isn’t huge but it does exist,” said Olson. “All source-separated recyclables that come through the transfer station, with the exception of glass, get baled, shipped and sold just like they are supposed to.”
That as many people use the drop off points or drive to the central recycling facility when they are not required pleases Olson. He said that the county would expect about 10 percent of households to participate when it is not mandatory, even with the monthly curbside program.
However, the county does make recycling of televisions, monitors, appliances and batteries mandatory. With only 10 percent of people recycling now, Olson said that it costs more to ship most bundled items to recyclers in other cities than it would be to just throw them away. The exceptions are tin and aluminum, he added.
Olson said that for full mandatory recycling a larger budget is needed for employees and equipment to process weekly home collections.
The Occupational Development Center also provides workers to the facility on a part-time basis. It also uses the Sentence to Serve program and pays partial costs for the crew leader. The crew runs the monthly curbside recycling program with the orange bin stops in Ranier, former South Falls and International Falls, along with transferring and sorting materials from rural drop-off sites.
The county recycling education and awareness outreach is provided by the Environmental Service Department.
“Education has been an ongoing, but difficult process,” said Olson. “A shortage of staff has been an issue at this facility for many years. Running at a bare minimum leaves some areas unsupervised. Other than that, the operation continues to run smoothly.”
The county solid waste complex collected 452 tons of material from 8,127 vehicle visits last year. The county recycling center opened in 2006. By the end of 2007 the county recycled:
• 4,000 pounds of tin and aluminum for nearly $10,000 in revenue.
• 59,000 pounds of plastic containers for $7,500.
• 88,000 pounds of magazines and 550,000 pounds of paper for $13,000.
• 360 large appliances.
• 352 televisions.
• 130 computer monitors.
• 1,100 tires.
• Several tons of car batteries and used oil and air filters.
“These numbers only include what came through the county’s transfer station,” said Olson. “Many businesses have their own programs.”
The recycling center accepts all types of paper. Magazines and corrugated cardboard are accepted at the Falls Transfer Station, the Big Falls and Mizpah canister sites. No. 1 and No. 2 plastic containers are acceptable, but not sheet plastic or plastic bags. The same with steel and aluminum and glass, with the exception of ceramic and heat resistant dishes and standard or fluorescent light bulbs.
All paper products in 2007 were sold to International Bildrite in the Falls. Olson said the noticeable decrease in volume was is due to area businesses finding their own alternate recycling options in a good market.
Magazines and plastics were sold to Quality Checked Plastics in Paynesville and Howard Waste in Duluth. Steel and aluminum cans went to American Iron.
The county ceased crushing glass to use as gravel about 10 years ago when it was no longer feasible to transport. Now, glass is crushed at the facility and stockpiled for future use as aggregate and used locally for on-site projects. The county is exploring possible alternative use with glass septic systems, drain fields and base material in road projects, according to Olson.
For more information, call Koochiching County Environmental Services at 283-1157 or visit www.recyclemoreminnesota.org.

Recycling sites
There are 13 Koochiching County recycling drop sites:
The Falls, 4100 Hwy 11
Recycle Center. Open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Kmart parking lot
Industrial Avenue water tower

Ranier
Across from City Park

Littlefork
Near county garage
Canister site

Big Falls
Behind hardware store
Canister site

Birchdale — canister site
Loman — canister site
Silverdale — canister site
Northome — water tower
Mizpah — canister site