A few little tips can help make recycling in Lane County a breeze.

Byline: Recycling By Pete Chism For The Register-Guard

An estimated 78 percent of material that is dumped in to Short Mountain Landfill can be recycled in Lane County.

Many community members believe the material going into the landfill is a lost commodity. The resources and potential jobs that the recovery of these resources could potentially create are lost in the garbage can.

In 1992, the average Oregonian tossed 4.2 pounds of material into their garbage can a day; today, that number remains unchanged. After more than 10 years, we have seen an increase in the recovery of material, but our landfills continue to grow at the same rate.

Recycling is the easiest way to pitch in. Here are some tips on recycling in your home.

Rinse containers right after they are emptied, so they don't get crusty or moldy. (It also cuts back on ants.)

Start a small recycling collection area in your house. I have a grocery bag (reused of course) for paper, a grocery bag for bottles, tubs, jars and cans. and a bucket (with a lid) for food scraps.

Designate a larger outside collection area, so as the bags in the house fill, you can empty them in the outside containers.

When pick-up day comes, take the containers to the street.

Once you get your system down, you won't waste a lot of time, and you'll gain satisfaction knowing that you've contributed to the greater good.

Once people get hooked on recycling, some tend to want to recycle everything. They say, "But this window is glass. Why can't I put it in the glass container?" I applaud these efforts, but ambition sometimes creates problems for the recycling collectors and processors. There are guidelines about what can and can't be recycled. If you're not sure about a material you would like to recycle, call your hauler or Lane County Waste Management at 682-4120 to see if it can be recycled. Here are some common materials that end up in recycling containers that don't belong.

Soiled paper: Make sure that the paper you recycle is just paper. Paper contaminated with food or oil, like most pizza boxes, goes in the garbage. I usually rip off the top and recycle the unsoiled part. Used tissues belong in the trash as well; they not only contaminates the recycling process, but they also lead to heath concerns.

Plastic bags and lids: Most grocery stores collect this material and return it to their distributor, where it gets recycled into other plastic products, such as plastic/wood composite lumber. Due to market availability, plastic lids and bags are not collected at Lane County transfer sites.

Windows, light bulbs and ceramic glass: These types of glass contaminate the recycling process for container glass. Just remember, if it's not a glass container, don't leave it at the curb or at a drop-off site.

Lane County Waste Management also is working on improving recycling awareness through the Master Recycler Program. The fourth Master Recycler class is under way and the fifth will start in the fall. To request an application, call Lorraine at 682-2059.

The increase in waste generation has prompted Lane County to launch the second phase of the waste prevention campaign, Less is Best. Less is Best provides more creative and simple ways to reduce waste generation. For Less is Best waste prevention tips, check out our Web site at: www.lanecounty.org/ PW_WMD_Recycle/

As the recycling industry continues to grow, more opportunities to recycle await us on the horizon ... stay tuned.

Pete Chism is a waste management specialist with Lane County. This column is provided by Lane County Recycling.