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County Map
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Recycling - Disposal Options
Recycling and Garbage Collection Information
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Municipal Programs -- curbside and
drop-off |
| Bulk Trash Collection -- TNT's Hauling
in Ellsworth, toll free 1.866.919.2646 $fee. Anything goes even appliances
and construction debris. |
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Solid Waste Haulers -
pdf format
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| What to Recycle and How
to Prepare it Listed below are basic guidelines to help you prepare your
recyclables. Following these guidelines is important because it helps insure
that the quality of the materials is such that manufacturers will buy them
to make new products. Most haulers in St. Croix County now accept two
streams of recycling: co-mingled containers and mixed paper products and ask
that materials be segregated in paper bags (never use plastic bags) and
placed in your recycling container. Contact haulers directly for specific
information about recyclable materials they collect.
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CO-MINGLED CONTAINERS INCLUDE: |
|
TYPE |
EXAMPLES |
PREPARATION FOR RECYCLING |
|
Aluminum Cans |
Pop and beer cans |
Rinsed and flattened |
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Metal Cans |
Soup, vegetable, and coffee cans |
Rinsed with labels removed |
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Glass Bottles and Jars |
Beer, soda, wine, and liquor bottles and food jars |
Rinsed with caps /lids removed, recycle metal lids from glass jars and
discard plastic caps and lids in the trash. Avoid breaking |
|
Plastic Bottles |
Milk jugs, laundry detergent, and soda bottles |
Recycle #1 and #2 plastics only. Rinse and remove plastic caps and
rings. |
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Do NOT recycle the following items with your co-mingled containers:
window glass, ceramics, china, pyrex, light bulbs, oil or transmission
fluid bottles, plastic bags, egg cartons, Styrofoam, or wide mouth
container (i.e. cottage cheese, ice cream buckets, margarine, and yogurt
containers)
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MIXED PAPER PRODUCTS INCLUDE: |
| TYPE |
EXAMPLES |
PREPARATION FOR RECYCLING |
| Cardboard |
Corrugated
cardboard (wavy in middle) and cereal boxes |
Clean and
dry. Remove any plastic and flatten. Place flattened bundle in or next
to your recycling bin. |
| Newspaper |
Newspapers,
brown paper bags, and construction paper |
Clean and
dry. Place in paper bag with other types of recyclable paper. |
| Household
paper |
Envelopes,
junkmail, post-it-notes, glossy paper, computer paper and white or
colored office paper |
Clean and
dry. Place in paper bag with other types of recyclable paper. |
| Magazines |
Magazines,
catalogues and phone books |
Clean and
dry. Place in paper bag with other types of recyclable paper. |
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Do NOT recycle the following materials with your mixed paper: wax coated
boxes such as milk cartons, soda and beer boxes, boxes for food products
that go in the refrigerator or freezer, napkins, tissues, gift wrap,
books and egg cartons. Check with your hauler to see what optional paper
materials they will accept. |
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| Which Plastics can be
Recycled? Plastic is the name given to a wide range of compounds made
from the non-renewable resources oil and gas. Some plastic materials are
recyclable and therefore reduce the amount of material that needs to be
produced from virgin sources. Each plastic bottle or container carries a
plastic code. The codes are recognized by a triangle of recycling arrows
surrounding a number. Each number represents a different type of plastic.
These codes are normally printed or molded into the bottom or the bottom
edge of the bottle or container. Though technology has been developed for
recycling most plastics, in St. Croix County generally only #1 (PETE) and
#2 (HDPE) are readily recyclable and marketable. Plastics #3 — #7
are not recyclable and should NOT be mixed in with other recyclable
materials. The following chart provides information about each type of
plastic.
|
SYMBOL NAME AND DESCRIPTION |
COMMON FORMS |
RECYCLED PRODUCT USES |
PETE - Polyethleneterephthalate
**Good Recycling Market |
Plastic soft drink, water, sports drink, beer, mouthwash, catsup, salad
dressing bottles; and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars |
Carpet, fiberfill, tote bags, fleece clothing, strapping, bottles,
luggage and containers |
HDPE - High Density
**Good Recycling Market |
Milk, water, juice, cosmetic, shampoo, dish and laundry detergent
bottles; yogurt and margarine tubs; cereal box liners; grocery, trash
and retail bags |
Liquid laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner and motor oil bottles;
pipe, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, recycling bins,
benches, dog houses, plastic lumber, floor tiles, picnic tables, and
fencing |
|
Plastics #3 - #7 |
Bottles, yogurt containers, margarine tubs, medicine bottles, and
household storage |
Packaging, decking, paneling, gutters, mud flaps, floor tiles, garbage
can liners, furniture, compost bins, trash cans, landscape timber and
lumber |
|
Table adapted from the American Plastic
Council at
www.americanplasticscouncil.org |
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Are my Recyclables Being Trashed?
 Curbside
recycling provides many St. Croix County residents with the opportunity to
recycle right out their front door, but much has changed with this process
in the last several years and many residents have been concerned that their
recyclables are being trashed. In the early 1990’s, curbside recycling was
serviced by vehicles known as curbside sorters. There were separate
compartments for glass, metal, plastic, etc. However, like many other
industries, recycling has seen a tremendous amount of technological
improvements, including curbside collection equipment. In recent years, the
two largest hauling companies in St. Croix County (Onyx Waste Services and
Waste Management) have invested in new vehicles known as one-pass trucks. At
a quick glimpse, one-pass and packer trucks (used to collect only garbage)
look similar on the outside. However, they are built quite differently. A
packer truck is simply a large box on wheels with an opening in the rear to
put the garbage in and compact it. By contrast, the one-pass trucks used in
St. Croix County have three interior compartments, and a corresponding
number of buckets in the front or on the side of the vehicle. One of the
compartments is used for garbage, a second is used to collect paper
recyclables and the third is used to collect plastic, glass and metal
containers. When the buckets are full, they are lifted hydraulically over
the top and the contents are emptied into their respective interior
compartments. We receive numerous calls from concerned residents who,
observing the one-pass truck in operation, have wondered if they have just
seen their recyclables being trashed. So long as the driver properly puts
the recyclables into the collection buckets, this isn’t the case. Feel free
to ask the driver what is happening with your recyclables and how it works.
If you are still concerned that your recyclables are being improperly. |
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There are No More Dumps in St Croix County
St Croix County does not have a traditional
"dump" where trash may be dropped off. There are a very few if any dumps
left in the state of Wisconsin. Trash is collected and hauled to a transfer
station where it is loaded into semis and transported to a landfill. The
closest Wisconsin landfill is Seven Mile Creek Landfill in Eau Claire. In St
Croix County, the public can drop off trash items for a $ fee at the
Veolia Transfer Station in
Roberts. This includes items like furniture, concrete, mattresses and
household garbage. They do not accept hazardous waste or recyclable items
like mixed containers, mixed paper, and cardboard. For more information
about the drop-off program, contact Veolia Environmental Services at
715.749.1700. |
Consult the St. Croix County Recycling
and Solid Waste Service's web page for office location, telephone number, and
hours of operation. Thank you for visiting our site. We look forward to
serving you. |
