Curb side recycling started Monday in Paynesville Township.West Central Sanitation, the contracted garbage hauler for the township, had almost 100 households signed up for curb side recycling in Paynesville Township prior to the start of the service this week.
Paynesville Township Board Chairman Don Pietsch was excited with the number of households that signed up. "It goes beyond our expectations," he said.
Pietsch feels the numbers indicate people are concerned about the environment and where the garbage is going. "If we don't do something, garbage will create a problem down the road," he added.
The service is being offered to the more populated areas of the township around Lake Koronis and in the Heatherwood development for $2 per month. As demand increases, the area of service will expand.
Willie and Karen LaCroix, Lake Koronis residents, feel strongly about recycling. They have been recycling and hauling the material to D&D Recycling in Paynesville.
"It's great to see the township get an organized recycling program. We look forward to placing our recycling at the curb," said Willie LaCroix.
He added that in Europe, recycling is a national program. Europeans can't afford to use ground as a landfill. In com-parison, America is pretty wasteful, LaCroix said.
Kim Kruger was excited to hear about the recycling service. Kruger, who lives along County Road 181, said it's worth far more to her to have their recycling picked up at curb side than the $2 we are being charged. "It's going to be great for the township," she added.
This service is being offered to West Central Sanitation refuse customers. The $2 monthly cost for the service is added to their monthly garbage bill. Recycling in the township is an option, residents do not have to sign up for this service.
If the resident is not a garbage customer, they will not be able to receive the new recycling service, according to Jeff Bertram, who does sales and marketing for West Central Sanitation.
Each customer who signs up for the service will receive a 21-gallon recycling bin. The bins were purchased by the township from a $5,000 grant they received from the SCORE fund. The SCORE funds are raised from a tax placed on garbage bills. The funds are intended to be used to promote recycling and recycling education programs.
Residents are asked to place recyclable items in paper grocery bags, using a separate bag for each type of material. Materials include aluminum cans, tin cans, glass, plastic, newspapers, magazines, and paperboard boxes. (See described materials in box).
The recycling will be picked up every other week. A schedule has been mailed to those using the service. The recycling bins are to be at the end of the driveway or at the curb side by 7 a.m. for pickup. If a person only wants to utilize the service once a month, that is their option.
"West Central Sanitation is bending over backwards to make the service work," Pietsch said.
By keeping the price reasonable, it should help eliminate the need for people to throw their garbage into ditches or in the woods, Pietsch added.
West Central Sanitation is working with D&D Recycling in Paynesville on this project.
Anyone interested in signing up for garbage and recycling services can call 320-243-7577 or 1-800-246-7630.
Recyclable materials
Aluminum and tin cans: Includes small pieces of clean aluminum. Labels may remain on cans.
Glass: Please rinse. Separate brown, clear, and green glass. Labels may remain on glass. No broken glass.
Plastic: Acceptable items have either one or two in the recycling triangles marked on the containers. Please rinse. Labels may remain on containers.
Newspaper: Bag or tie separately. May include advertising inserts.
Magazines and catalogs: All glossy magazines or catalogs are acceptable, except Reader's Digest and TV Guide. Please keep separate from newspapers.
Paperboard and mixed residential mail: Paperboard boxes include cereal, snack, and tissue boxes. Unwanted residential mail is acceptable in separate bags or bundles.
Not recyclable
Discard the following items in the trash as they are not accepted by West Central Sanitation: Plastic lids and wide mouth containers such as ice cream pails, margarine tubs, etc.; styrofoam containers; Reader's Digest and TV Guides because of the glue on the binding; waxed or paper contaminated by food; drinking glasses; window panes; light bulbs; broken glass; paper tissues and paper towels; aerosol cans; and cigarette butts.