I would like to provide you with an update on our Plastic Shopping/Grocery bag recycling efforts:

 

During 2022, we collected 2,220 pounds or approximately 139,364 plastic shopping/grocery bags for recycling.  These bags were collected from buildings at the Southern Iowa Fair and Mahaska County Landfill, our mobile trailer that goes to Leighton, Eddyville, Fremont, New Sharon along with the Oskaloosa Fareway parking lot.  We also collect bags at the annual MCG/Clow E-Cycle event and have collection points in Barnes City and Rose Hill.  All of these bags have been baled and taken to Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls for processing.

 

Since the beginning in 2019 till today(March 17, 2023), we have collected and recycled 441,273 plastic shopping/grocery bags.  The really good news with this is that they did not go to the landfill or are blowing around the countryside.

 

2023 has been a busy year for recycling plastic shopping/grocery bags.  During the year, we passed the 500,000 mark on bags recycled since we started collecting in 2019.  We worked with the American Legion on some special events that produced over 1500 pounds of bags to be recycled.  Currently, we have over 200,000 bags collected this year.  Thank you to all for making this a successful project and helping to save our environment.  

 

I want to express my appreciation and thanks to everyone for their recycling efforts and all of the businesses that have supported this project.  We are making a difference and helping improve the environment and our county.

 

Rodney Anderson - President