• Editor’s Note: This is the third of a three-part series of articles written by Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland.

In the first two parts of this series, we cited some fallacies about the value of recycling and Kane County residents’ ability to recycle glass.

Today, I’d like to talk about a third fallacy: The incorrect assumption that everything and anything with a recycle symbol on it is fair game to throw in your curbside recycling bin.

In fact, given that recycling is of value, our educational message now has to go beyond simply encouraging recycling in greater quantity, and to encouraging recycling in greater quality.

You, me, all of us make a difference — because what we put in our bins makes a difference. And following the guidelines is very important.

The single stream/mixed material recycling that we have in Kane County allows for the highest level of convenience. You can put all of your recyclables into the same cart.

But the key is to only recycle the items that are acceptable. If you put in things that shouldn’t be in there, you increase the labor and therefore the cost of separation.

Wishful thinking is not recycling, and putting in unacceptable items — like propane tanks, Styrofoam, eye glasses, CDs, clothes, hangers, barbecues, or anything not on the list — damages the program. The hard truth is that poor recycling practices will dramatically increase the cost in the long run because of the extra effort required to separate the unacceptable materials and the extra cost of landfilling those materials.

Please refer to the Curbside Recycling Guidelines on the Kane County Recycle website for a detailed list of what is and what is not recyclable in your curbside cart. Also see the A-Z List of recycling and reuse opportunities to see how you can recycle all of those items listed above, just not in your curbside recycling cart.

When you follow the recycling guidelines, you are helping to keep your city’s recycling program successful. Thanks for all that you do to Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

Got questions? Contact Kane County Recycles at 630-208-3841 or recycle@countyofkane.org.

Read the Series

• Value of Recycling Part 1: Is Recycling ‘Worth It’? Let’s Set the Record Straight
• Value of Recycling Part 2: Glass — To Recycle or Not Recycle? Waste Management Customers Want to Know
• Value of Recycling – Part 3: How Each Person DOES Make a Difference

About Kane County Recycles

The Kane County Recycles office manages recycling programs for electronics, books, hazardous materials, and other hard-to-recycle materials, and promotes best practices for household recycling, commercial business recycling, and composting. This office oversees recycling-related information and community outreach initiatives, oversees the annual licensing of Waste and Recycling Haulers, provides backyard compost bins, and implements the Kane County Solid Waste Plan. The office oversees the Recycling and Hauler Licensing Ordinance which requires commercial businesses and multi-family residences to recycle, and provides the provisions for hauler licensing and reporting.

For all you ever needed to know about recycling in Kane County see the Kane County Recycles webpage and also sign up here to receive an electronic copy of the new Green Guide each spring.