DATE: Second Saturday of Each Month
TIME: 8:00AM to 11:00AM

LOCATION:
Enter from Pine Street through the alley south of the Mason City National Bank.
Exit to Chestnut Street beside Gas Station.

Life is Getting Easier

Save Our Area Resources (SOAR) has received a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs to expand recycling services to Easton and area businesses. The grant has been used to purchase a forklift, flatbed trailer and loading ramp.

This machinery makes it possible to collect cardboard and other recyclables from local businesses, including Oney's, Dollar General, Mason City Area Nursing Home, and Illini Central Schools. We welcome participation from other businesses.

Due to the depressed markets for recyclables, SOAR doesn't currently make quite enough money from sale or materials to pay fors transportation. For the time being, a small donation (a dollar or two) is requested (but NOT REQUIRED) from participants as they drop off recyclables.

SOAR BOARD Meetings are the last Tuesday of each month, at 7pm at the Mason City Civic Center.  ALL are welcome to attend

Do Your Part To Improve the Markets - BUY RECYCLED!

HOW TO COLLECT AND SORT YOUR RECYCLABLES

(You may print this listing and post it in your home recycling area for future reference)

Newspaper	Flat piles in brown paper bags or in boxes Newsprint catalogs and magazines (recycle glossy covers with magazines)
Cardboard/Fiberboard	Please break down and flatten boxes Brown paper bags are recycled with cardboard Cereal boxes and other paper board - Please Flatten No waxed milk or juice boxes
Magazines	Anything printed on shiny paper, such as catalogs, magazines, flyers, inserts, brochures
Office Paper	Copy paper, any color Computer paper, notebook paper, envelopes, note cards, manila folders, NCR paper (carbonless forms) Staples and paper clips are acceptable, but remove book covers, plastic or spiral wire bindings Junk mail - sort into office and magazine paper NO plastic windows NO coloring books, painted or crayoned paper, construction paper, book covers, plastic or spiral wire bindings, no waxed or plastic coated paper NO molded or pulp paper (However, we do currently save egg cartons for a local farmer)
Glass Containers (Proceeds go to Home Extension Chapters)	CLEAN Clear, brown, or green glass, bottles and jars only Remove lids - labels are OK to leave on NO window glass, ceramics, mirrors, drinking glasses, light bulbs, dishes or blue glass
Aluminum	Pop and other beverage cans Aluminum foil, pans are OK; however, separate and clean them
Tin Cans	CLEAN, labels are OK
Plastics - #1 and #2 (Sorry, no #3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 accepted)	Sort plastics as follows: #1 (Clear PET, i.e., liter pop bottles) #2 (i.e., HDPE milk jugs) #2 colored HDPE (i.e., detergent jugs) RINSE, remove lids and crush as much as possible (rinsing with hot water before crushing helps) NO other plastic, such as cottage cheese and yogurt containers, food trays or plastic bags NO motor oil or cooking oil containers We can take shrink wrap In general, we can take any plastic bottles with a neck or a seam on the bottom and recycling symbol #1 or #2

Helpful Hints

	Keep a container for recyclables near your dishwashing sink (A medium-to-large wastebasket work well).  Wash or rinse out cans, bottles, milk jugs, etc., while you are cleaning up after meals, or run tin cans and glass jars through the dishwasher.
	Sort your container full of recyclables into individual bags or boxes where you have more room, such as in the garage or basement.
	Plastic jugs and bottles compact more easily when rinsed out with hot water.
	Because we only haul out loads of materials every three or four weeks, it gets very smelly in Lovely Downtown Mason City if milk jugs and food tins are not clean. They attract bugs, varmints, complaints from the neighbors and visits from the Health Department. Milk jugs should be washed or triple rinsed.
	Glass does not need to be sorted by color, but we cannot take blue glass
	In general, remove lids and caps from glass and plastic
	In general, labels are OK.
	Aluminum cans make the most difference as to whether we go in the hole financially. Please bring as many as possible!
	The best way to get the hang of recycling is to help out on a collection day. Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Besides, it FUN!

 ALSO ACCEPTED for other organizations include: