Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - The City of Sioux Falls is launching a new regional recycling education campaign that aims to educate citizens within the five-county area how to recycle properly. The City is committed to extending the life of the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill through various waste minimization and diversion programs and also to creating a more sustainable community now and into the future.
One of the most successful strategies utilized by the City to aid in these efforts has been the implementation of mandatory recycling. In 2014 alone, more than 44,000 tons of single-stream recyclable material was processed by local recyclers. This is material that saves precious airspace in the landfill, as well as provides local jobs and conserves natural resources. It is because of these benefits that the City of Sioux Falls continues to invest in recycling education.
The City of Sioux Falls made single-stream recycling, or allowing all recyclable material to be placed in the same bin, mandatory in 2012. The new education campaign focuses on how to properly recycle material in the single-stream in order to prevent contamination.
“Single-stream recycling makes it easier than ever for citizens to recycle. However, there are guidelines we need the public to follow when recycling to make sure recycling facilities can recover as much material as possible. Some unacceptable items can cause safety and health risks for employees and waste haulers. They can also cause serious damage to the recycling facility equipment,” states Sustainability Coordinator Jessica Lantgen.
The City of Sioux Falls plans to mail the updated single-stream recycling flyer to all Sioux Falls households twice each year. The City is also providing stickers for residential recycling bins to all licensed waste haulers. The stickers show which materials belong in the recycling bin and will be available this spring. Waste haulers will also be asked to use the new recycling education materials provided by the City in an effort to standardize the recycling guidelines throughout the region served by the landfill.
The City hosted three public education recycling workshops in which the waste haulers and material recycling facilities provided input for the new recycling guides. The City also received feedback from 175 residents regarding the new guide.
“Our goal with this new campaign is to provide residents with the tools they need to recycle properly. Our residents do a great job at trying to recycle all that they can. We just want to provide them with consistent guidelines to follow,” states Jessica Lantgen.
Some of the guidelines include:
- Do recycle steel, tin, and aluminum cans; plastic containers such as bottles, tubs, and jugs; cardboard and cartons; glass bottles and jars; and paper such as newspaper, magazines, and office paper.
- Bag shredded paper in a clear plastic bag before putting it in your recycling bin.
- Bag plastic bags together in a clear plastic bag before putting them in your recycling bin.
- All other recyclables should be placed loose (unbagged) in your recycling bin.
- Never put medical, food, pet, or human waste in the recycling bin.
- Electronics, hazardous waste, Styrofoam, ceramics, porcelain, toys, clothing, and garden hoses do not belong in the recycling bin.