In a “Recycle Reset,” Lewis County will eliminate its commingled recycling program, instead requiring residents to sort their own recyclable products, and no longer accepting any more plastic jugs or bottles. The goal is to keep non-recyclables out of the mix.
Now, customers will have to sort their recyclables into containers for glass bottles and jars, corrugated cardboard (cardboard with a wavy layer), metal and mixed paper.
“When the county hauls large loads of commingled or mixed recycling away for processing, and the containers have a significant amount of garbage, it isn’t cost-effective for the processor to sort the garbage out,” said Solid Waste Utility Manager Greg Gachowsky in the release. “The entire load is typically thrown away, and we are charged for the disposal fee, plus the round-trip hauling fee, and nothing is recycled.”
At the Morton and Centralia transfer stations, color-coded recycling areas have been deployed to help with sorting: white for paper, blue for glass, brown for corrugated cardboard and gray for metal.
Additionally, the county announced that the curbside recycling program offered by LeMay Inc., from Pe Ell to Morton will no longer accept shredded paper, milk and juice cartons, or frozen food boxes. The items, according to the press release, “pose challenges to recycling sorting facilities and paper recycling mills.”
Questions can be directed to 360-740-1451.