What it costs
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What you can bring
What they'll turn away
Polk County Recycling and Beautification is not a city or county department. It is a community-run non-profit, and its own strapline - recycling run by the community, for the community - describes the operation fairly. The centre sits at 10311 State Highway 146, at FM 2665, roughly five miles south of US 190 and across from FM 2666.
Two days a week is all you get: Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9am to 3pm. Arrive on any other day and the gate is shut. Worth knowing too that PCRB's second site, the Onalaska drop-off, is closed indefinitely, which leaves this as the only location operating.
The material list is short and the standards are strict, because a volunteer operation cannot absorb contamination. Corrugated cardboard is taken broken down and dry - waxy, greasy or rain-soaked boxes are not recyclable and belong in the bin. Aluminum must be cans only, drained and empty; foil and other metals are refused. Steel and tin cans should be rinsed with the lid pushed inside, though labels can stay on.
Electronics are where the centre earns its keep, and that list is long: essentially anything with a plug, cable, cord or battery. Televisions, monitors, printers, copiers, fax machines and scanners; computers, laptops, tablets, phones, e-readers and MP3 players; disc players, games consoles, cameras, camcorders and projectors; microwaves, stereos, speakers, routers, radios, telephones, calculators and power tools; and the loose ends - cables, chargers, power strips, headphones, controllers, remotes, keyboards and mice. Take household batteries out first, since those are not accepted.
Almost all of it is free, but screens are not. Televisions and monitors carry a handling charge to cover shipping: $5.00 up to 30 inches wide, and $10.00 up to 50 inches wide, which the site also describes as 35 inches diagonal. Sets above the posted width limits are refused. Payment is by cash, check, PayPal or Venmo. Wipe your own data before you come - staff handle devices with care but take no responsibility for anything left on them. Phone 936-337-3315.