Plastic bags can be recycled at the Teton County, Wyoming facility.
RAD’s Guidelines: All these materials should be placed in the RAD Bin and stuffed into one or two plastic grocery bags and NOT separately intermingled with the rest of the plastic bottles. Combine these materials into plastic bags help RAD efficiently provide your curbside service and assist Teton County, Wyoming bale this material, as well as make it much less likely for these materials to “escape” into the environment.
Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs, CFLs, contain a very small amount of mercury, and should NOT be disposed of in landfills. Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative will take back your compact fluorescent lightbulbs for recycling. They can be dropped off at their Driggs office or other locations. Please carry them in two sealed ziploc bags for safety.
Teton County, Wyoming Solid Waste and Recycling also accepts CFL and tube fluorescent bulbs for responsible disposal.
It takes a minimum of two years to accumulate a full truck load of #1 and #2 plastics for shipment at the Transfer Station. Every two years, County staff try to find a regional buyer for plastic bottles. To date, all collected loads have been recycled.
Recycling plastic reduces the amount of waste going to the landfill — Mud Lake, but it also raises a lot of questions. Why can we only recycle bottles, and why only #1 and #2 plastics? Do we have to remove the caps? What happens to the plastic that is recycled? #1 and #2 plastics are recyclable because there are markets for the end products. #3 thru #7 plastics are made from different processes, and have more dyes, fillers and other additives. This makes it much harder to recycle them.
Even some #1 and #2 plastics are made with different processes and additives, and cannot be mixed in the recycling process. This is why #1 food tubs and trays are not recyclable with #1 bottles, and #2 plastic bags cannot be recycled with #2 bottles.
Bottle caps are also made with a different process and contaminate the bale when left on bottles. Every city TVCR has talked with that accepts #1 thru #7 plastics ships them to China for recycling. In general, #1 plastics are made into polar fleece, carpet fiber, tote bags, furniture, sleeping bags and jackets. #2 plastics tend to be recycled into plastic lumber, benches, picnic tables, fencing, floor tile, trash receptacles and pens.
Preserve a U.S. based company, recycles #5 plastics into toiletries and kitchen products.
It’s true that some plastic recyclers now accept caps. However, removing caps allows Teton County more options for recyclers and the potential to get higher prices. Therefore, we ask recyclers to continue to remove caps from plastic bottles. If you would like to recycle your bottle caps, you can collect them and mail them to Preserve to be recycled.
Teton County does not currently collect textiles for recycling. We encourage residents to donate lightly used clothing to our local thrift stores, like See N’ Save or Lucky Dog. Individuals may also save jeans and other denim products too worn to donate for our annual Denim Recycling Drive every January or mail them to Cotton: Blue Jeans Go Green.
Teton County, Wyoming Solid Waste and Recycling provides document shredding. They charge 25 cents per pound for this service. Find more info here.
Styrofoam lasts forever in landfills and releases toxic gases if burned or heated.
Encourage stores to use paper or reused styrofoam and plastic bubble wrap. Encourage restaurants and coffee shops to switch to paper or other bio-degradable products for a few cents more.
Hazardous waste is not recyclable. Teton County, Idaho residents can be reimbursed up to $150 for disposing of their hazardous waste with Teton County, Wyoming Solid Waste and Recycling. The Hazardous Waste facility is open the first and third Tuesday of the month, April through October, by appointment only. Find more information here: TVCR Hazardous Waste Flier.
Medicine can’t be recycled, but now it can be disposed of safely at the Teton Valley Hospital Pharmacy. Flushing medicines down the drain harms our water resources, and putting them in the trash invites the risk of abuse by anyone who finds them. Bring your old medicine to the Teton Valley Hospital Pharmacy and they will dispose of them safely and confidentially through the Drug-Buster disposal system.
Teton Valley Community Recycling was also awarded a $1,000 grant through the Idaho National Laboratory for a medicine disposal program in partnership with Teton Valley Health Care. Medicine disposal bags are available at our various events where TVCR is present or can be obtained by emailing tetonrecycling@gmail.com.
