Recycling ringing in the new year

More recycling will be available locally at the beginning of 2020, but there are steps for recyclers to take to do it right.

A new receptacle will be placed outside the gates of the Delano Regional Transfer Station and will accept mixed paper, #1 and #2 plastics, tin cans, and aluminum cans.

The transfer station also accepts cardboard in a receptacle within their gates.

The receptacle is being placed there as part of Sunrise Disposal’s newest contract with local towns.

Dion Gotti, who owns Sunrise Disposal, said they plan to put it out there on Jan. 1, 2020.

Gotti elaborated to The Star about some of the specifics for recycling, and said information will also be on stickers placed on the receptacle.

“Mixed paper” includes newspapers, magazines, and office paper, but not envelopes with plastic windows on them or laminated paper. Paper clips and staples should be removed.

“Plastic #1” include things like soda and water bottles, juice containers, and cooking oil containers, while plastic #2 includes shampoo bottles, laundry detergent and bleach bottles, and more.

Gotti emphasized that lids are not accepted, and should be removed before recycling, and also that containers should be rinsed out first.

The #1s and #2s need to be separated as well, and will go into seperate compartments on the recycling receptacle.

Plastic bags and plastic packaging are key examples of plastics not accepted, Gotti said.

Tin cans should be rinsed out. They do not need to be flattened. Ideally the labels are taken off, but it’s not necessary, Gotti said.

Aluminum cans should also be emptied and clean.

Gotti also said you can’t simply throw a bag or box of recyclable items into the receptacle, but rather you need to empty your bag or box of items into the appropriate compartment.

Gotti emphasized the need to not throw garbage into the receptacle, which, when full, will be taken to Okanogan County’s recycling center, which won’t accept contaminated loads.

“It ruins it for everybody else when people use it as a garbage container,” he said.

It’s up to those recycling to take the time to identify what kind of plastic an item is.

“It’s labor intensive, to tell you the truth,” Gotti said. “You’re doing a good thing. I’m big into recycling and all for it. I think with plastic bags we need to just reduce and use paper.”

Gotti explained that plastics are complicated because fewer places are taking them now, and somewhere along the line someone has to sort through them. And it’s complicated more by the lids being a different plastic than the container.

“The county is having a hard enough time getting rid of the plastic as is,” he said.

“It’ll be interesting to see,” Gotti said. “We’re gonna learn what people are recycling more of.”