Recycling Numbers
In 2018, the Lawrence County Solid Waste Management District collected many recyclables from residents and businesses. In most cases these materials are sold at a market value, and the revenue generated is used to fund future recycling efforts in our county!
Here are the 2018 Totals:
| Material | Tons | |
| Aluminum Cans | 5.38 | |
| Scrap Metal | 45.90 | |
| Steel Cans | 8.03 | |
| Paper | 192.93 | |
| Glass | 70.35 | |
| Tires | 129.36 | |
| Plastic | 58.80 | |
| Cardboard | 375.39 | |
| Totals: | 886.14 |
Keep on recycling, so we can keep these valuable materials out of the landfill!
*Why do we pay for glass to be recycled? LCSWMD actually saves money by recycling glass instead of taking it to the landfill: it costs $7.11/ton to recycle glass with our purchaser Strategic Materials, but over $30/ton to discard it in the Medora Landfill.
The money we spend on glass recycling covers the cost of sorting and crushing the glass at the Strategic Materials plant. A good way to help keep down the cost of glass recycling is to reduce contaminants like trash… make sure you only recycle glass bottles and jars!