Recycling is a way of life in many areas, and Washington County is not left behind. The county’s free recycling program includes numerous recycling trailers that accept paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, tin, aluminum, and glass.

Below are the locations of the blue recycling trailers in the county:
Little York:  fire station
Pekin:  old Pekin Garage
Campbellsburg:  across from town hall
Salem: W. Joseph St. by the animal shelter (This location is the most used.  The trailer must be emptied three times a week.)

The City of Salem also offers curbside pickup. Recycling may be sorted into red bins, provided by the city.  These bins are collected by the city every other week on the assigned garbage pickup days. Salem is the only community that provides this service.

Tammy Elliott is the Director /Controller/Landfill Manager of the Washington County Solid Waste Management District. She said that in 2022, 327 tons of recycled materials were handled. In 2023, the amount increased to 402 tons.

Asked if the recycling program pays for itself, Elliott says, “No, it doesn’t pay for itself, but it indirectly extends the life of our landfill.”

She said, “We do not recycle small batteries, light bulbs, televisions, and motor oil.”

Motor oil can be recycled at Auto Zone at 811 S. Main St., Salem, but the quantity is limited to no more than five gallons at a time.  O’Reilly Auto Parts at 1106 W. Mulberry St., Salem, also accepts used oil.

Wet cell batteries must be left at the recycling center or placed curbside for recycling pickup. Do not set out cracked batteries that may be leaking acid.

Residents who recycle are asked to avoid contaminating good recycling material with food and other foreign materials. Contamination results in a high rate of material being rejected from recycling. It is also a nuisance for the individuals who have to handle the contaminated materials.

Bradie Shrum, Salem High and East Washington schools have their own programs for collecting recycling.  Many businesses throughout the county sort and recycle items as well.

The main recycling center is located at the entrance to the Washington County Landfill, located at 2682 N. Highland Rd. in Salem.

Kurt Brown is in charge of sorting materials to be recycled.  After sorting, the materials are baled and taken to Walker Recycling.

The landfill is where household garbage and debris are dumped in a large deep pit and compacted with a large bulldozer and other excavating equipment.

If a resident of Washington Co. has extra household waste, it can be dumped at the landfill for free. County residents are welcomed to bring their waste and recycling to the landfill at any time.

The landfill is open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.  Hours are also offered on the first and third Saturdays of the month, 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The landfill is closed Sundays and holidays.

Commercial haulers and those with residential demolition materials in the county can also bring waste to the landfill.   All loads are weighed and then dumped. The charge is $21 per ton, with a minimum fee is $15. Trucks are weighed on scales to determine the weight of materials to be disposed. Bill Bachman is in charge of the scales. All loads are inspected.

Demolition materials include anything that is torn or ripped out, including carpet, padding, tile floors, dry wall, ceiling tiles, windows, doors, kitchen cabinets, shingles, siding, rubble, fencing, insulation, etc.

Building materials are collected in another area of the landfill. Appliances may be dropped off across from the recycling center.

Items not accepted at the landfill include wet paint, oil, anything flammable, asbestos and propane tanks.

The landfill doesn’t accept trash from outside Washington Co. Anyone dumping out-of-county trash is fined $100 per ton on these loads.

Staff photos by Jerry Curry