By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – For the third year in a row, McLean County saw an increase in the amount of solid waste that was recycled.

2017 had a recycling rate of 41.9 percent, up from 40.8 percent in 2016. It continues the upward trend in recycling that has occurred since 2015. Ecology Action Center Executive Director Michael Brown said the county’s previous goal was to reach a recycling rate of 40 percent. After that goal was reached in 2016, the EAC coordinated with local governments to create a new goal.

“Within the new Solid Waste Management Plan, there’s actually a number of new priorities and new focus areas that are going to help us get to that 50 percent and to goals beyond that as well,” Brown said.

Brown noted the EAC is looking for feedback and assistance as to how the county can increase the recycling rate. He said measures like commercial recycling and apartment recycling could allow the county to reach a recycling rate of 50 percent over the next few years.

“We are looking into other variables that make this increase more important, like landfill space becoming a little bit more valuable and less plentiful here in central Illinois,” said Brown.

Brown also said smaller towns in the county don’t have much in the way of recycling services, so residents rely on drop-off programs and collection sites in the Twin Cities.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].