Directions: Remove any non-paper materials (metal clips, plastic bindings, metal spirals, plastic newspaper sleeves, etc). Small staples and paper clips are OKAY. Plastic windows in envelopes are OKAY. Hard cover books must be collected separately.

“Yes” Examples: Office paper, newspaper, brown paper bags, envelopes, magazines, flyers, junk mail, brochures, catalogs, paper cups, and small quantities of paperback books or phone books – for larger quantities of books please bring to our facility separately (Learn more about paper recycling in the single stream here).

• “No” Examples: Paper towels, tissues, wipes, hardcover books, stickers, labels, wax paper, contact paper, laminated paper.

SHREDDED PAPER

•  MUST BE BAGGED: Place shredded paper inside clear bag or plastic grocery bag and tie shut. Shredded paper is the ONLY exception to the No Bags rule. We need this material bagged so we can capture it all and keep it contained. Use a TRANSPARENT bag and tie it tightly shut so we can see it and separate it.

Source: Millennium Recycling

Directions: Remove any non-paper materials (styrofoam, plastic caps, straws, plastic bags). Plastic windows in boxes are OKAY (i.e. pasta boxes). Flatten boxes to save space in your bin.

“Yes” Examples: Corrugated cardboard boxes, brown paper bags, paper egg cartons, paperboard boxes, paper take-out containers, coffee cup sleeves, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, paper cups, milk and juice cartons (Learn more about carton recycling in the single stream here).

“No” Examples: Styrofoam, plastic added items like straws or lids.

Source: Millennium Recycling

Directions: Empty liquid and food contents, do not crush. Place lid back on if empty, except for any chemical containing container, please TRIPLE RINSE and keep lid off to let chemicals air out (Learn more details on lids here).

“Yes” Examples:  Soda, water, juice, detergent, shampoo, lotion bottles, milk jugs, margarine and yogurt tubs (See why numbers don’t matter here).

“No” Examples: Clamshell containers like berry or salad containers, to-go food containers, typically black and clear in color (Learn why to-go containers are not recyclable here). No styrofoam or mixed plastic materials like toys or gadgets.

Source: Millennium Recycling

Directions: Empty liquid and food contents. For cans, do not crush and place lid (if metal) back on or set in container. Labels are OKAY. For aluminum foil or trays, make sure they are COMPLETELY clean and roll into a ball.

“Yes” Examples: Soup, Tuna, Soda, Beer, Vegetable Cans. Empty Aerosol Cans if completely empty of contents. Aluminum foil and trays. (Learn more about metal recycling in the single stream here).

“No” Examples: Car parts, pots & pans, silverware, chains, etc.

Source: Millennium Recycling

Directions: Empty liquid and food contents and place metal lid back on if empty (Learn more details on lids here). Labels are OKAY.

“Yes” Examples: Jam, pickle, pasta sauce, baby food jars, olive oil, beer, wine, ketchup bottles (Learn more about glass recycling in the single stream here).

“No” Examples: Windows, Mirrors, Ceramics, Dishes, Light Bulbs, Glasses, TV or Computer Monitors, Tiles, etc.

Source: Millennium Recycling

Plastic bags and film have always been a challenge in the recycling world. They are very difficult to capture if loose and get stuck in equipment. Disappearing markets along with the high cost of labor required to process them forced us to remove them from our recycling program in June 2019 (See full press release). As one of very few recycling companies who accepted plastic bags, we did not make this announcement lightly.

We encourage you to reduce and reuse by bringing your own reusable bags (#BYOBSF) to the store and opting for paper instead of plastic. Without an easy recycling option, it is our hope that people will begin to realize the overall negative impact plastic bags have on the environment and will start to avoid them altogether.

Clean plastic bags and film can still be brought to participating grocery stores and other retailers with separated collection bins (see below).

See an update on how we’re doing keeping film out of the loads here (July 2020).

Where To Bring Your Bags:

• Trex Film Recycling Program: Participating South Dakota stores include Econofoods, Family Thrift Center, Hy-Vee, Kohl’s, Nash Finch (Sunshine Foods), Sun Mart and Target. Learn more.
• Wrap Recycling Action Program (WRAP):  See a list of local retail stores in the WRAP directory who accept plastic bags and film packaging. Learn more.

Source: Millennium Recycling

Free Pass Program (Saturday, April 1, 2023 – Saturday, September 2, 2023)

Spring Leaf and Branch Drop-Off at W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds (Saturday, April 15, 2023 – Sunday, May 28, 2023)

Leaf and Branch Drop-Off Sites (Saturday, September 23, 2023 – Sunday, November 26, 2023)

Christmas Tree Drop-Off Sites (Tuesday, December 26, 2023 – Sunday, January 7, 2024)