Teton County manages 8 community recycling sites conveniently located throughout the valley where residents and visitors can recycle accepted materials. Unique items such as electronic waste, batteries, hardcover books, textiles, bike tires and tubes, scrap metal, fluorescent light bulbs, bear spray and household hazardous waste can be recycled at the main recycling center located on Adams Canyon Drive.
Recycling
Over the past 26 years, residents, businesses and visitors have strongly supported community recycling in Teton County, and continue to do so as our community embarks on the Road to Zero Waste. Teton County operates a source separated system for common recyclables, benefiting from the assistance of residents who sort their recyclables into the different categories we accept. This system works well for our small, rural, isolated community – saving labor and equipment costs thereby increasing the value of these materials, which helps the recycling program remain viable.
Teton County hauls our community’s trash over 100 miles away to be buried in a landfill just outside of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Landfilling costs Teton County more than $100/ton while recycling costs the county, on average, $20/ton. In addition to being more fiscally responsible, recycling is allowing these valuable materials be reused rather than landfilled.
Locations
Materials
The Teton County recycling program collects only materials that are truly able to be recycled/reused and for which viable markets exist. We operate a ‘source separated’’ collection system in which we require recyclers to separate items based on material type – as opposed to a ‘single source’ or ‘commingled’ collection system (common in larger communities) in which all materials go into one bin and are separated at a more sophisticated Materials Recovery Facility.
Teton County is currently expanding recycling and waste facilities which will help enable us to accept increased volumes and additional types of materials. As the county’s waste diversion program grows, additional modifications to simplify the current collection system may become viable.
Materials accepted at community collection sites in Teton County include: Office paper; newspaper, magazines; corrugated cardboard; soft cover books and phone books; glass bottles and jars (all colors); aluminum cans, aluminum foil and pie plates; steel/tin cans, #1 and #2 plastic bottles and jars; plastic bags and stretchy plastic wrap.
At the main recycling center on Adams Canyon Rd we also accept: electronic waste (M-F, 9am – 6pm); batteries, cell phones and small electronics; household hazardous waste (1st and 3rd Tuesdays, April – October, by appointment only); fluorescent tubes and Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL’s); hard cover books, textiles, bicycle tires and tubes; bear spray; camping propane canisters; scrap metal (no appliances).
Recycling Guide
Where Does Your Recycling Go?
Teton County seeks to utilize regional materials processors whenever possible, as is the case with scrap metal, newspaper, glass and textiles. Other materials are transported to recycling processors where those facilities exist. The benefits of re-utilizing materials through recycling rather than destroying them in landfills or by incineration ultimately outweighs the impacts associated with transporting these materials to processors. Where do Teton County Recyclables Go and What do they Become?
On the road
Each year Teton County trucks nearly 30,000 tons of trash to the Bonneville County Landfill located just outside of Idaho Falls, Idaho – over 200 miles, round trip. On average, 5 semi-trucks per day, 6 days per week make this journey to deliver our community’s trash to be entombed underground.