Recycling History

	Historically, the amount of materials collected each year changes due to many additional market considerations, like the cost of delivering these items to market and for the quality of materials received at the dock. A consistent and adequate volume of any recyclable material does improve the marketability of the item. Contaminants or improperly placed materials in your bin - which end up in the recycling trucks - can bring the value of the load down. Raw materials are most often used to manufacture products but recycled materials are competing against them and poor quality can decrease the demand for recycled materials used in these manufacturing processes.
	A significant contribution you can make to the local recycling efforts is to place only items accepted for collection in your bin. Look for items coded for recycling. Some items coded for recycling are too costly to process or there is no end user of the recycled material. These items are not part of the accepted materials in your local St. Joseph County program. Please call the district for further information regarding accepted recyclable materials.
	Another equally important contribution is to purchase items which can be placed in your bin for recycling collection rather than items you have to discard of in your trash can. For example, paper bags are accepted and plastic bags are not. The plastic bags can often be returned to the businesses distributing them or reused in the household for trash can liners or by local resale shops for purchases. Contact your area businesses for further information bout plastic bag recycling.

Curbside

	The Curbside Recycling Program serves some 76,000 homes and it has been with great dedication that the total materials collected to date is a very successful 204,743,700 lbs. ! Below is a breakdown of the amount of each recyclable material collected in your community. All materials are reflected by the year they were received. For 2005, the amounts include residential materials collected thru the month end of September.
	Grand Total of Materials St. Joseph Co. Residential Recycling

Tons of Materials St. Joseph Co. Residential Recycling

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Household Hazardous Waste

	St. Joseph County is a home to a permanent HHW collection facility which accepts various residential materials on a free drop-off basis. Located at 1105 E. Fifth St., the HHW center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Mishawaka based center has had some 49,672 visitors through yearend 2004! For more information about the accepted hazardous materials or for directions, call 235-9971 or 235-9972.
	Participating Residents in Years 1995-2004 Percentage Participating Residents by Area in Years 1995-2004
	The following charts summarize the current residents and percentage (%) who are using the HHW collection facility.
	Participating Residents by Month in 2005 Percentage of Participating Residents by Area

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