Hospers, Iowa — If you live in northwest Iowa, there have been some changes to what is recyclable in your curbside recycling, and what is not. The good news is that there are only additions to the list.
We recently had a chance to talk to Larry Oldenkamp, the manager at the Northwest Iowa Solid Waste Agency facility between Sheldon and Hospers. He says they accept recycling and trash from haulers and towns in Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola and Sioux Counties as well as several communities in Clay County and the City of Akron in Plymouth County.
Oldenkamp tells us that materials that come to them in the curbside recycling program are no longer being sorted at their facility.
He says that due to that change, what’s recyclable in northwest Iowa has changed as well. For one thing, plastic bags are back on the recyclable list. And that’s good news for people who had no other place to go with them except a store in a bigger community.
Oldenkamp says that while polystyrene foam, usually called by the brand name Styrofoam usually has a #6 recycling symbol on it, they still don’t recycle the foam, often used in disposable plates, cups, and packing material. He says another material that is recyclable elsewhere still is off the list in northwest Iowa — glass.
He tells us why the change was made to send the comingled recyclables to Le Mars.
He says while there were several advantages to the change, it did mean the loss of about seven part-time employees who sorted recyclables.
Oldenkamp asks people to please keep the recycling material clean and dry. He says remember not to attempt to recycle pizza and other takeout food boxes unless they are free from grease.
For more information, you can see their website at nwialandfill.com.
