Partnership is a strategy that’s working well for the Lyon County landfill, county employees said Thursday night. By working together with other southwest Minnesota counties and organizations like Advance Opportunities in Marshall, Lyon County is working to increase recycling and proper waste disposal in the region.
In one example, new recycling programs for mattresses and car seats have saved space for more than 800 tons of trash in the landfill, Lyon County Environmental Administrator Roger Schroeder said.
On Thursday, Schroeder updated members of the Landfill Advisory Board on developments at the Lyon County landfill, as well as a proposed budget for 2018. The advisory board is made up of commissioners from area counties that bring waste to the Lyon County landfill.
Part of Schroeder’s presentation included statistics on the number of mattresses, box springs and car seats that recycling programs have diverted from the landfill so far. As of the end of August, he said, employees from Advance Opportunities have broken down more than 600 car seats, 700 box springs and 1,100 mattresses. The materials from the car seats and mattresses are collected for recycling.
All that recycling has positive results for the landfill, Schroeder said. Mattresses have a lot of air space, and take up a lot of room in landfills. The volume of mattresses the recycling program kept from going into the Lyon County landfill could be replaced by an estimated 843 tons of other waste.
Schroeder said the landfill is also partnering with Lincoln County to collect certain types of farm waste, like seed bags, silage tarp and bale twine, for recycling.
Another partnership — this one regional — has the goal of spreading information about recycling and waste disposal, and encouraging people to recycle. Schroeder said Lyon County is part of the Southwest Regional Solid Waste Commission, a group serving 12 counties in southwest Minnesota. The SWRSWC website has information ranging from contact information for area waste haulers, to available recycling programs, and information on safely disposing of hazardous materials and medical waste.
“It’s something we can start using as a clearinghouse to get to the public,” Schroeder said. In the Marshall area, the group has also created video public service announcements for recycling, featuring local high school athletes.
“The message is getting shared on social media,” Schroeder said. So far, he said, the videos have gotten more than 5,000 views on Facebook and more than 6,000 views on Instagram.
To read the full story, visit http://www.marshallindependent.com/news/local-news/2017/09/partnerships-make-difference-for-county-landfill-operations/.