Lincoln County Landfill is now accepting e-waste once again for recycling and will continue to do so until mid-August. E-waste items will then be picked up by Yellowstone E-Waste Solutions.
Kathi Hooper, Lincoln County Environmental Health Director, said that recycling has extended the life expectancy of the landfill. With an estimated 55,000 cubic yards of waste each year, according to a 2018 survey, the life expectancy was a mere seven years. However, according to the Health Department’s annual report, 189 tons worth of material was recycled last year. Increased recycling had contributed to the total estimated amount of waste being much lower.
If locals were to keep up with this recycling trend, about four years would be added to the lasting life expectancy of the cell making it over 11 years. This, of course, being despite the sudden drop in plastic recycling at the end of 2017.
Another sudden stop in recycling is paper products as the landfill stopped accepting mixed paper towards the end of 2018 due to contamination. The countries where our recycled paper waste was being taken, such as China and India, have changed their standards over the years about what is acceptable. Other non-paper materials being mixed in with paper waste has made it difficult to recycle items. However, according to an annual report, Lincoln County has come up with a solution to this. By sorting products, Lincoln County has been able to continue recycling paper materials.
Another change implemented at the landfill is covering landfill waste with a tarp that is placed and removed daily. The landfill is required to be covered daily to discourage scavengers and prevent waste from escaping the cell. Hooper told the board that the Health Department is working on long term planning for the landfill with Mike Fraser of Fraser Management and Consulting as well.
Items that will NOT be accepted for E-Waste recycling:
CRT monitors
Air conditioners
Alarm clocks/clock radios
Appliances
Batteries (alkaline non-rechargeable)
Big screen televisions (projections)
Console televisions
Fluorescent tubes/light bulbs
Household batteries (non-rechargeable)
Kitchen appliances
Smoke detectors
Televisions (CRT tube-type)
Vacuum cleaners
By Dawn Manchester, The Montanian