That's the reason about 10,000 more pounds have been recycled this year compared to last year, city and county officials said.

(Advertisement)

In Le Mars, as of the end of May,132,060 pounds were recycled compared with 85,000 in May 2007. When the recycling program began in 2005 during this same time period 61,680 pounds were recycled.

"More people are getting on board," said Mark Kunkel, Plymouth County landfill manager. "Neighbors are talking to neighbors."

Bill Cole, Le Mars assistant administrator, said 941 Le Mars residents have the blue totes the city gives for free to put recyclables in for curbside pickup.

Educating the public has been accomplished through various channels including government meetings, advertisements and informative classes at Floyd Valley Hospital and service clubs.

"People are more conscious of it, more aware of it," Cole said.

Cole said the city and county have plans to work together to do a program in the schools this fall to educate youth. They will hand out banks and key rings shaped like the blue totes.

"It's to just try and get the students more involved," Cole said. "They will bring it home."

In Le Mars the recyclable items are picked up once a week -- the first full week in the month.

Driving down Central Avenue Thursday, June 12, blue totes and bags could be seen in front of nearly every residence ready for pickup by Van's Sanitation for free.

Cole said there are 250 of the blue totes still available. Those, a schedule for pickup days and a list of recyclable items can be obtained for free at Le Mars City Hall.

The recycling bug has also bitten rural customers.

Dumpsters are available in nearly every city in the county for rural customers to use.

Their locations are: Le Mars, in the parking lot of the Plymouth County Courthouse, Brunsville, southeast of the elevator, Craig, northwest of town hall, Kingsley, between the hardware and grocery stores, Oyens, west of the post office, Merrill, west of the fire station, Struble, maintenance shed, and Westfield, west of the post office.

Kunkel said residents can also bring items to the Plymouth County Landfill.

"I hope it keeps going," Kunkel said of recycling. "It's really easy to do."

Residents don't have to sort the items. That is done in Cherokee where the items are transported.

"That makes it really easy," he said. "You can put everything into one container."

Below is a list of items that can be recycled:

*Glass - rinsed, unbroken, remove lids. Food jars, beverage bottles. Clear glass is most valuable, amber glass is acceptable.

*Paper - dry and clean newspapers, paper, magazines, mixed paper, junk mail, wrapping paper.

*Tin cans - empty, rinsed, caps lids and foil. Food and beverage cans, hair spray cans, food PAM spray in a can. Labels can be left on.

*Plastics - rinsed, lids removed. Clear and colored plastics with No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 stamped on bottom. Milk and soap jugs, food, beverage and household cleaning bottles. Plastic bag acceptable.

*Cardboard - tissue boxes, cereal, shoe and beverage boxes. Food boxes without food stains as in hamburger helper, cake laundry soap boxes.

Labels do not need to be removed from cans or bottles. Clean only enough to prevent odors. Do not recycle containers with traces of hazardous materials. Do not recycle dirty or food stained paper.