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What's in your recycling container?

Subhead
Survey to find answers about Southwest Minnesota recycling habits and perceptions
By
Lori Sorenson

Two hundred randomly selected Rock County households will receive surveys in the mail this week asking them about their attitudes toward recycling.
Selected residents received letters earlier this week, requesting their participation in the survey, which will be mailed later in the week by the Southwest Marketing Advisory Center (SMAC), Marshall.
The letter asks residents if they recycle, if they have a recycling container in their home, where it comes from, how big it is and how often they fill it.
Other questions are more philosophical, asking residents how educated they are on recycling, if they would recycle more if it were more convenient and if they felt recycling is commonly practiced in their community.
SMAC is researching the impact of the Southwest Regional Solid Waste Commission on residents’ recycling habits in the 12-county area served by the commission.
The surveys will determine attitudes and perceptions of past and current homes and organizations that have been served by solid waste.
According to Rock County Solid Waste Administrator Eric Hartman, the results of the study will be used to determine improvements that can be made to recycling processes.
“Your completion of this short survey is vital in determining client attitudes concerning services received from the Southwest Regional Solid Waste Commission,” Hartman wrote in a letter to residents who were selected to receive the survey.
“Could we do a better job recycling? No doubt about it,” he said, when asked about local recycling habits.
He said Rock County recycles roughly 40 percent of its solid waste, and that percentage has plateaued in the past several years.
The survey information will be kept confidential and will be shared only in aggregate with the Southwest Regional Solid Waste Commission.
Since survey responses will represent the views of others living in the county, Hartman said he hopes for good participation, and added that postage-paid return envelopes are included with the survey information.
“Please complete and return it as soon as possible so the feelings of the general public can be learned concerning the recycling program in your community,” Hartman said.

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