The Waste Commission of Scott County is celebrating Earth Day with a big milestone… 1 BILLION POUNDS RECYCLED! One billion pounds of material from the Quad Cities and nearby communities has been sorted since curbside collection began in 1995. That’s enough to fill 68,626 recycling trucks!
Recycling conserves natural resources, and we’re grateful for the community’s help in taking care of our planet! Since curbside recycling launched, residents have saved over a billion kilowatts of electricity, over two billion gallons of water, and over a million barrels of oil. Thanks to resident participation, the community and environment are continuing to benefit from recycling efforts.
The Scott Area Recycling Center opened as a dual-stream facility in 1995, sorting 7000-9000 tons of recyclables per year. In 2016, the facility underwent a remodel, and “Go All In” single-stream recycling was launched. Later in 2019 and 2023, a total of four optical sorters were installed to increase the sorting capacity and efficiency. Today, the facility accepts material from as far as two hours away and processes about 40,000 tons of material each year. Once sorted, these materials are shipped to other midwestern businesses for future processing. While technology has changed the way the Waste Commission of Scott County sorts recyclables and made the process more efficient, what can be recycled curbside remains the same.
What Goes in Your Cart?
- Glass bottles and jars: Empty and rinse containers.
- Plastic bottles, tubs and jugs: Labels and lids are OK.
- Paper and cardboard: Flatten all boxes.
- Aluminum and steel cans: Place all items in your cart loosely. No plastic bags!
Thank you for helping us reach this milestone and keep on Recycling Right!
Want to learn more?
- Watch what happens once recyclables leave your curb!
- Use our Waste Wizard Tool to view disposal options.
- Follow us on Facebook!
- View the list of Drop-Off Recycling locations
