Why do I need to rinse out my cans and bottles?
Stephens County collects and transports thousands of jars, bottles and cans each week from the convenience sites to the recycle center. If there wasn’t a policy of rinsing out cans, jars and bottles, each and every one of those cans, jars, and bottles would have contents residue inside (what we call contamination). That contamination can attract rodents and bugs, and can create a smell you wouldn’t believe! If everyone does their part by taking a moment and rinsing out their jars, cans and bottles, the impact from rodents, bugs, and smell will be kept to a minimum.

Why do I need to remove the caps on plastic bottles?
Plastic bottles and jugs are designed to hold their shape and the liquid and/or foodstuff inside. The cap keeps the liquid (or foodstuff) inside the bottle or jug from coming out. After you've consumed the liquid or foodstuff, and finished with the plastic bottle or jug, rinse it out with water, and throw the cap in the garbage can. This small act keeps our recycling efforts running smoothly. Let me tell you why. Stephens County compacts and bands all the plastic bottles and jugs into manageable bundles for shipping to recycling materials brokers (the companies that pay for our recycled materials). The compacting machine that crushes the plastic bottles and jugs together creates a lot of pressure on each bottle and jug. If the cap is left on the bottle or jug, it does what caps do. In this case, since the liquid or foodstuff is gone, it holds the air inside the bottle or jug. So when the compactor crushes hundreds of bottles and jugs together, and the air is trapped inside, the bottles and jugs will explode. This is not a good thing for the equipment or county personnel. It's VERY important to remove caps! The safety of our employee’s depends on it!

If you have any questions please call 706-886-1920 and we’ll answer your question and add it to the FAQ web page.

Thanks for your help.