Trash in recycling bins creating headaches for Solid Waste District

The future of recycling in Lincoln is in jeopardy as people continue to fill the paper and can bins near the Lincoln Senior Center with non-recyclable material, or with material that can be taken to the transfer site for recycling.

Currently, Lewis and Clark County contracts with Republic Services for the paper and can recycling bins in town, while a cardboard recycling bin is located at the Lincoln Transfer Site.

Last week, Lincoln Solid Waste Board president Bob Frank-Plumlee discovered that someone had stuffed the box and plastic wrapping from a full-sized a mattress (a Rejuven8-3 adjustable Queen from the Denver Mattress Company) into the paper recycling bin. Additionally, several plastic bags full of cans had been left in the can recycling bin. Whiles some cross contamination is unavoidable, too much of it defeats teh prupose of the recycling bins.

Frank-Plumlee issued the following reminders to Lincoln residents who use the recycling bins in town:

IN THE PAPER BIN: only office paper, newspaper, magazines and paperback books, including phone books. ALL must be CLEAN. -- NO CARDBOARD (including cereal boxes or food containers). – NO GARBAGE.

IN THE CANS BIN: only clean aluminum and tin cans. NO TIN OR ALUMINUM FOIL. NO PLASTIC BAGS, whether full of cans or not. ALL bags must be emptied. Again, NO TIN OR ALUMINUM FOIL.

Bags of cans that also contain filthy cans or garbage are NOT sorted. They are pulled aside and thrown away.

ALL CARDBOARD must be taken east of town to the Transfer Site. It is collected there FREE at no charge.

Finally, Lincoln does not recycle plastic or glass, either in town or at the Transfer Site. Sadly, they are trash.

A sign located along the east side of the bin site details what can and can't be deposited into the recycling bins