Monroe County Recycling Center - Not A City Dump

by Jodi Masters

Major home remodeling and just plain living leaves behind old appliances and other items needing to be disposed of that are not your usual curbside pick-up items. Since many people don’t know where to take these items, I looked into the options for people in the community.

I first looked for the city dump in the phone book and found nothing. After making some quick phone calls I discovered that the Monroe County Courthouse has valuable information about times of operation and the location of the Monroe County Recycling Center. In fact, the woman at the courthouse was able to answer all general questions. She also referred me to John Wagner, the environmental services manager for Monroe County, for any specific questions. He can be reached at 939-3871 ext. 13; the recycling center is located at 901 Illinois Avenue in Waterloo.

I met with Wagner in person to discuss this great service offered to the community, at no charge for some items and with minimal charges for others. It goes like this:

Free: Any large furniture, appliances, glass, plastics, aluminum, steel, paper, metal, parts of cars, scrap metal, magazines and newspapers as long as they are not wet, mattresses. No plastics or phone books.

Cardboard may be taken to Human Support Services in Waterloo for recycling.

At this time there is no drop-off location for computers, but it there may be one in the area soon.

For a fee: Construction and remodeling debris such as bathroom fixtures, cabinets, dry wall and lumber. The fee is based upon quality and weight, which is about $45 a truck load.

Another option for recyclable items that are in good condition is to donate them to a local thrift store. An example of this is the Nice Twice thrift store, located at 518 Park Street in Waterloo, which is the old train depot. This is a Ministry of Lutheran Children’s and Family Services of Illinois affiliate and proceeds go to support Camp Wartburg. Kim Otten and Cindy are the managers and see regular customers visiting weekly. You may receive a tax donation slip at drop off time.

Twice Nice hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations are accepted only during business hours and they do not accept soiled or torn clothing, broken appliance, broken or dirty toys, console televisions, console stereos and soiled or ripped furniture. For more information, call 618-939-0311.