Curbside recycling
New residents can start their garbage collection and recycling service by calling Hutchinson City Center at (320) 234-5672.

Residents who set out their blue recycle bin at least once a month receive a $2 credit on their monthly garbage bill. A 90-gallon green bin is provided to each household for collection of compostable yard and household wastes.

Special hard-goods recycling days are scheduled each spring and fall. The city’s waste hauler picks up couches, refrigerators and similar items. People needing this service should call Waste Management at (800) 450-9378.

Any other questions about curbside recycling can be answered by calling McLeod County Solid Waste Management at (320) 234-7166.

Creekside Soils
About 1.2 million bags of topsoil, potting soil, compost with manure, organic peat, wood mulch and wood chips, are produced at Hutchinson’s $3.1 million city-owned compost plant and marketed under the Creekside Soils brand.

Creekside, 1500 Adams St. S.E., is where city and county residents take lawn clippings, leaves and other yard wastes, as well as recyclables from tin cans to newspapers.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday from April 1 to Oct. 31. From Nov. 1 to March 31, the facility is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

For more information about Creekside Soils or Hutchinson’s recycling efforts, call manager Doug Johnson at (320) 587-6762, or visit www.ci.hutchinson.mn.us and click on Departments and Services.

County recycling operations
From curbside recycling to managing hazardous and problem wastes, McLeod County offers residents a variety of ways to recycle or reuse their trash.

The county purchased the Fifth Avenue Southeast building, known as McLeod County Solid Waste Management, in 1999 with intentions to expand its household hazardous waste facility and add on a recycling plant. The recycling center opened its doors in 2004.

The 22,000-square-foot addition is used to recycle material from township recycling sheds, county drop boxes, city curbside collections and businesses.

Residents can get cash back for recycling their aluminum cans at the plant’s can redemption center, Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Items such as old textbooks, magazines, phone books, plastic grocery bags and junk mail can also be dropped off.

Hazardous waste collection
Another part of the building is the county’s household hazardous waste collection site. The site accepts an assortment of hazardous products from fluorescent bulbs and aerosol cans to oven cleaners and rechargeable batteries.

For a list of acceptable products, call McLeod County Solid Waste at (320) 234-7166, or visit www.co.mcleod.mn.us and click on Departments.

The site also has a product exchange where residents can donate or find a variety of used paints, varnishes or cleaning products.

Also, items such as packing peanuts, bubble wrap, alkaline batteries, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, floppy disks, empty pesticide containers, oil filters, used motor oil, and small propane cylinders are collected at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility for recycling or reuse.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. On Tuesdays from June 1 to Sept. 1, the site is open until 8 p.m.

Problem materials
Collections are scheduled throughout the year for collecting items such as tires, appliances, electronics, hard goods and fluorescent bulbs. For a list of accepted household hazardous waste items, disposal fees, special collection dates, call McLeod County Solid Waste Management at (320) 234-7166, e-mail mcleod.solidwaste@co.mcleod.mn.us or see its Web site at www.co.mcleod.mn.us.