Residential Recycling
Recycling is one of the easiest ways we can protect our environment. It’s just a hop, skip and a jump to put your recycling tub at the curb or take materials to a drop-off center. In Johnson County, most residents feel that recycling is important but we are well below the national recycling rate of 34%. Our county is only recycling 23%! Challenge yourself, your neighbors, family and co-workers to beat the national recycling rate and positively impact our future.
Here are some tools to help:
Curbside Recycling Service
What Goes in my curbside bin?
Where do my recyclables go?
Recycling Drop-off Centers
Electronic Waste Recycling
Glass Recycling
Household Hazardous Waste Recycling
Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL) Recycling
What goes in my curbside bin?
Cardboard: corrugated, chip board, paperboard (cereal boxes).
Paper: office, newspaper, phone books, junk mail and magazines.
Plastic: numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 (click this link for details).
Aluminum & Steel/Tin Cans: most food cans.
No: glass, styrofoam, plastic bags, food, soiled cardboard, tissues or wax coated paper.
Curbside Recycling Service
Each city in Johnson County is responsible for managing the storage and collection of waste. Some cities contract for recycling, and other cities leave it up to the individual home owner or association to contract for recycling. Check with your city or homeowners association to see if they offer recycling and ask how to sign up. If you contract independently for waste, ask your waste hauler to start you on their recycling program.
It is easy to start recycling at your home--
Where do my recyclables go?
When you put out your materials on the curb each week for collection, they are taken to a Materials Recovery Facility. There
they are processed, separated and sold on the market for being made into new products. A system of manual and mechanical sorting
separates your recyclables into the different categories and ultimately bails them all together in huge bundles of like-material.
Check back soon for a video on recycling!
View a photo tour of your recyclables once they leave the curb.
Community Recycling Drop-off Centers
There are more ways to recycle than just through a curbside collection program. You can take your materials to a community recycling drop-off center. There are several in the county:
Overland Park Recycling Drop-off Center
11921 Hardy (Just off 119th between Metcalf and Antioch)
Downtown Olathe Recycling Drop-off Center
Kansas Ave. and Poplar St. in the Farmer’s Market
East Olathe Recycling Drop-off
13600 S. Alden St. Near 135th and Black Bob in the NE corner of the Wal-Mart parking lot
West Olathe Recycling Drop-off
Parker and Santa Fe, north of the pharmacy drive-through in the Wal-Mart parking lot
Deffenbaugh Recycling Drop-off Center
I-435 and Holiday Drive at the Landfill entrance
Electronic Waste Recycling
Currently only a small percentage of electronic devices are being recycled. Electronic waste volumes in the country are significant and some e-waste contains hazardous material which should be diverted from the landfill whenever possible. Click here to read a detailed article on e-waste recycling or visit the Kansas state website on electronic waste.
Many cities around the county host annual e-waste recycling events. Check your city's website to see if there is an event scheduled for your community.
Listed below are some other options for disposal of electronic equipment. For a complete list, click here.
Surplus Exchange: The Surplus Exchange has been recycling electronics for 25 years. They take e-waste from the public. They also will pickup e-waste from businesses. Charges do apply to some items. They are located in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.
Goodwill Reconnect: Drop off any brand of used electronic equipment for free and get a receipt for tax purposes.
Best Buy: Best Buy stores will accept for recycling most consumer electronics for no charge (up to three items).
Staples: Customers can recycle e–waste by simply bringing their used electronics to any U.S. Staples store. All brands are accepted, regardless of whether or not the equipment was purchased at Staples. A recycling fee of $10 per piece of large equipment is charged to cover handling, transport, product disassembly and recycling. Smaller computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and speakers are accepted at no charge.
Office Depot: Recycle your electronics with Office Depot's Tech Recycling Program. Bring your items to a conveniently located Office Depot and an associate will help you box up your electronics, a small fee ($5-15) will apply.
Online resource to finding the best offers for selling or recycling your electronics: EcoSquid.com.
Glass Recycling
Convenient Glass RecyclingRecycling glass is now more convenient! Ripple Glass, a new glass collection and processing company, is placing 10 glass recycling bins throughout the County. These drop-off locations are conveniently located in grocery store parking lots and at cities' community centers so you can swing by and drop off your glass recycling while running other errands.
Current Glass Recycling: While glass is not collected in curbside recycling programs, it can be recycled at community recycling centers and at Ripple Glass Collection Bin Locations. The main reason we cannot put glass into the curbside bins is for safety. Broken glass happens and it is not safe for workers or our community.
Recycling Fluorescent Light bulbs including Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL)
Fluorescent light bulbs save energy and cut down electrical costs. Be sure to use them and dispose of them properly. These bulbs can be recycled. To find a location near you, check the www.recyclespot.org.