Otter Tail County Recycling Guide

Bagged recycling is our top contaminant. While it may seem to make sense to contain your recycling in a bag, we really want you to keep it loose! All of the bagged recycling that comes to the Recycling Center has to be ripped open by hand, taking up valuable staff time. Also, staff can’t see if there is something potentially dangerous in the bag, so they sometimes get splashed or sprayed with some nasty stuff. Rotten milk, anyone? Bags get caught on equipment, take up extra space in the recycling bins, make more waste, and cost YOU money! So save those dollars, make less waste, and help our recycling workers!

Just like Styrofoam, many plastic bags and plastic wrap packaging are marked with a recycling symbol and number. These items get wrapped around equipment, and get dirty, and are thrown away. Most recycling programs do not accept them, but some retail locations do. If you want to recycle plastic bags from a grocery store, use retail drop off locations at local supermarkets.

Although lots of different kinds of paper ARE recyclable, soiled paper and paper coated with wax or plastic are not. Recycling Center staff see lots of paper plates and other soiled paper products (such as paper towels and napkins) in the recycling, and all of those items are pulled out by hand and placed in the garbage.

Yes, Styrofoam™ has a recycling symbol. It’s a #6, or polystyrene. The material is technically recyclable, but there is not a system in place to actually recover large quantities of it. It is also incredibly light, blows around easily, and is often soiled with food or liquid. Your best bet? Avoid it. Next best? Put it in the garbage where it belongs.

Wrapping paper or really embellished greeting cards aren’t recyclable. Wrapping paper often contains embellishments such as glitter, foil, or other additives that make it difficult to recycle. Many cards are embossed with foil or glitter, or even contain batteries! Simple cards can be recycled, cards with additional decorative elements are not.  We all get photo greeting cards from relatives around the holidays, but sadly these are not recyclable either. Photo paper often has additives or coatings that can’t go through the recycling process. E-cards or a simple holiday email with family photos are two great ways to reduce holiday waste.

While clothing can sometimes be recycled, it’s not accepted in your regular recycling bin! Usable clothing and accessories should be sold, donated, or passed on to family and friends, and even stained or worn out clothing can be recycled into a variety of products. Bring ALL textiles to drop off donation bins and resale locations for proper disposal. Buying higher quality clothing will also ensure that it lasts longer and has a better chance of being reused by someone else.

Bulky items like large flower pots, pieces of wood, plastic chairs, vinyl siding and large storage totes should not be put with recycling. These items are too large to be included in our bales of recycled materials, and are all pulled out of the recycling by staff at the Recycling Center. Please donate usable items, and bring items too large for your garbage collection to a transfer station for disposal.

During gardening season we see lots of plant pots! Plastic plant pots #1-7 that are NOT black can be put with recycling, black plant pots or very large plant pots are not acceptable in our recycling program. Plant pots and planters should be reused as many times as possible, and can sometimes be returned to a retail location or plant nursery for reuse or recycling. Check with your local nursery or garden center to see if they accept used pots. Garden hoses are not recyclable either.