Crawford County Recycles! Don’t Trash the Planet

Why Recycle?
Millions of tons of recyclable materials are tossed into the garbage every year.  It is shipped to landfills and just piles up.  It practically never goes away.  Just think what your yard would look like if you had to keep all of your trash.  You would probably want to take care of this dilemma in a hurry.  The yard is only so big. Right?  Well, so is the Earth.

If something isn’t done soon, our trash will consume us.  Most of it can be recycled before it ever reaches the landfills.  Sorting trash as you throw it away is easy.  Who would want to dig through that pile of stuff in your back yard anyway?  So, please, recycle to avoid trashing the planet.  It’s only so big.

Smart Shopping
The first step to recycling wisely is buying wisely.  About one-half of our household waste comes from packaging.  Smart shopping can reduce trash, create a market for recycled materials, and save you money.  Here are some ideas to help you think recycling when you shop.

Buy products made from or packaged in recycled materials:

• Look for paper products, cereal boxes, notebook paper, and stationery made from recycled paper
• Buy cleaning products whose bottles contain recycled plastic

Look for items in containers that can be recycled:

• Glass bottles can nearly always be recycled
• Plastic milk jugs and soda pop bottles are usually accepted at all recycling centers

Look for least-waste packaging:

• Buy vegetables unwrapped instead of laid on poly styrene and wrapped
• Look for deodorants, mouthwash, etc. sold in their cases without added “shadow-box” packaging

Buy in bulk whenever possible:

• Large containers of cereal, rice, and snack foods are less expensive than small quantities; buy in bulk and refill small containers
• Learn which of your favorite cleaning supplies are available in concentrates; use refillable spray bottle

Recyclables – How to Prepare for Recycling
Corrugated Cardboard

• Corrugated cardboard only-cereal boxes sort with mixed paper
• No plastic coatings
• Corrugated boxes are great to carry your recyclables

Newspaper

• Clean papers only.
• Slick inserts sort with magazines
• Don’t bind with string or bundles in plastic
• Brown grocery bags are preferred for bundling

Office Mix Paper
The office mix category is just that, about any paper product in an office environment except, carbon paper and self-sealing, sticky, or taped items. The acceptable office mix is:

• Bond and colored paper
• Junk mail
• Envelopes with windows
• Postage stamps
• Post –it notes
• Greeting cards,
• Fax paper
• Staple-bound pamphlets and books

Magazines

• Separate magazines that contain both slick paper and newsprint
• Magazines that are 100% slick paper, such as Readers Digest, TV Guide, etc. should go with Mixed Paper

 
Mixed Paper

• If it’s paper and not included in any of the other categories it belongs here
• It is all your kitchen and household paper including cereal and frozen food boxes
• No plastic lined materials

Kraft Paper
This is what you get when you say “paper” at the supermarket.  You’ll need to sort those brown bags here, along with any similar packaging paper.  Brown bags are excellent containers for separating recyclables and saving newspapers.

Plastic
Look close on your milk jugs, laundry detergent containers, and other plastic containers for the recycle symbol that say: #1 PETE and #2HDPE.

• Discard lids and caps
• Rinse all containers of contents
• No auto fluid containers

Glass

• No crushing required
• Sort colors: clear, brown, and blue/green
• Remove any caps, lids, and metal rings
• Remove foil labels (paper labels are ok)
• Food and beverage glass only
• No drinking glasses, windows, light bulbs, etc.

Aluminum
This not only includes rinsed out cans but also clean aluminum foil and plates. Crushing cans is optional, but it takes up a let less room.

Steel

• Rinse out soup cans, tin and steel
• Cans may have printing on them or paper labels
• Separate from aluminum cans

Used Motor Oil

• Seal securely and bring only motor oil in plastic containers

• Don’t mix with other automobile products

Automobile Tires
Separate tire fro rim and take to a local salvage location.

Automobile Batteries

• Lead Acid only
• Take "as is" to a recycling outlet

Scrap Steel

• All types of ferrous metals: galvanized sheet iron, bicycles, bed springs, etc.
• Rusk is ok
• Must be free of other material

White Goods
Washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, hot water heaters, etc. are recyclable. Freon will be recovered at the recycling outlet in accordance with federal law.

Non-Ferrous Metals
Separate according to type of metal:

• Brass
• Copper
• Aluminum
• Stainless Steel
• Radiators
• Heater Cores

Local Recycling Locations
Battery Mart
119 North Broadway
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Phone: 620.232.2690
Materials Accepted:

• Automotive batteries

Champlin Tire Recycling Inc.
1208 s. 190th Street
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Phone: 620.231.1252
Materials Accepted:

• Automotive tires

Commercial Metals Co.
1010 N. Highway 69
Frontenac, KS 66763
Phone: 620.231.9547
Materials Accepted:

• Iron
• Aluminum
• Red metals
• Steel
• Tin

Crawford County Citizens for Recycling
North Broadway
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Phone: 620.231.8930
Materials Accepted:

• Office mix paper (clean)
• Newspaper
• Corrugated cardboard
• Magazines
• Mixed Paper
• Aluminum cans
• Plastic #1 PETE and Plastic #2 HDPE (clean, no caps, no automotive products containers)
• Steel cans
• Glass: green, brown, and clear (remove cap lids and metal rings)

Girard Paper Recycling Center
South Hwy 7
Girard, KS 66743
Phone: 620.724.8116
Materials Accepted:

• Office mix paper
• Cardboard
• Newspaper
• Magazines

Southeast Kansas Recycling Inc.
615 S. Joplin
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Phone: 620.231.8930

This information was compiled by the Southeast Kansas Solid Waste Operating Authority in conjunction with the Crawford County Solid Waste Management Committee, which is funded by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment Solid Waste Management Base Grant Program.

The Southeast Kansas Solid Waste Operating Authority
PO Box 664
Chanute, KS 66720-0664