Did you know that about 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is only about 28%? St. Charles County is trying to close that gap by making it easier for residents to recycle their most common household items. That’s especially important now that some individual recyclable haulers not affiliated with the county are limiting the types of items they accept in curbside bins.
Beyond Curbside Recycling
To complement local curbside recycling programs, St. Charles County operates two drop-off Recycle Works facilities that collect and process recyclable materials. These facilities accept a wide variety of items at little or no cost to St. Charles County residents.
“The beauty of recycling with one of our two St. Charles County (SCC) recycling centers is that you can maximize your recycling impact by combining curbside collections with our drop-off centers for a comprehensive recycling solution,” said Ryan Tilley, Division Director for the St. Charles County Department of Public Health’s Division of Environmental Health and Protection.
“The reality is that not all recyclable materials may go into residential curbside carts. In fact, in parts of St. Charles County, even paper and cardboard cannot go into everyone’s carts,” Tilley said. “However, at our county drop-off locations, we take almost all recyclables!”
What is Accepted?
Aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the United States, but many other types of material may also be recycled. Here are just a few of the items that can be recycled through the Recycle Works facilities:
- Paper products, including cardboard
- Electronic equipment, including computers and appliances
- Glass bottles and products
- Clothing and other textiles
- Selected plastics, except PVC and individual plastic bags
- Rechargeable batteries (no alkaline batteries accepted)
- Fluorescent tubes and light bulbs (from residents only)
- Hazardous Household Waste material
“Over the past 16 years, I’ve been proud that we have been able to maintain a one-stop-shop for most things recyclable,” Tilley said. “We still have work to do to expand our list, but we are continuously pressing forward.”
Get More Information
To learn more about St. Charles County’s Recycle Works facilities, including what type of recyclables are accepted or to view a list of fees, visit https://www.sccmo.org/861/Recycling or call 636-949-7900 ext. 4267 (Recycle West) or 636-949-7900 ext. 4273 (Recycle Central).