The Winneshiek County recycling center processes between 2400 -> 2700 tons (4.8 -> 5.4 million pounds) per year and has the capacity to do a lot more.

Revenue not used to offset the expense of recycling is returned to the Winneshiek County General Fund for property tax relief. Everyone has a financial stake in this program.

If there are no viable markets for something, it can not be recycled. A viable market means there are multiple financially stable established outlets for the material. The recycling business is in many ways a lot like farming. Farmers don’t grow crops they can not sell.