Wayne Baron of 4R Recycling in Burns joins Prairie City Recycling volunteers Tracie Unterwegner (left), Ruth McPherren, and Donna Becker (right).<I><BR>Contributed photo</I>

PRAIRIE CITY – Area residents now have greater opportunity to recycle more materials, thanks to a new arrangement between Prairie City Recycling and a Burns-based recycling firm.

The all-volunteer Prairie City organization, located behind the Bank of Eastern Oregon’s branch, is joining forces with 4R Recycling, a private recycling business managed by Wayne Baron and operated out of Burns.

The Prairie City center is still open 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays, but the new allliance allows the site to accept more plastics – including all plastic bottles, tubs, and jars which have the recycling logo and the Nos. 1-5 and 7. Items marked No. 6 are still excluded, as are all plastic lids without a logo and number.

Clear plastic milk jugs (no lids) will be recycled separate from the opaque version. The latter will be included with the mixed plastics, Nos. 1-5 and 7.

Plastic grocery bags, as well as household batteries, can now be recycled at the Prairie City facility.

Tin cans need to be rinsed but, unlike before, they do not have to be smashed or have labels removed.

The Recycling Center also is accepting magazines, which can be mixed in with newspapers and dropped off anytime in the shed behind the center.

Another new material being accepted is baling twine. Ranchers can get large bags for storage from the center, and then drop off the accumulated twine at the center.

Some other guidelines:

? Aluminum – Still accepting clean trays, foil and cans.

? Glass – Still accepting glass bottles, which are crushed on site and used locally. Labels do not need to be removed or the glass separated by color. Volunteers ask that metallic paper and rings as well as plastic rings on wine bottles be removed.

? Corrugated cardboard – Still accepting this along with cereal, shoeboxes, egg cartons and brown paper bags.

? Multi-colored paper along with mail – recycled as “low-grade paper.” There’s no need to remove staples, windows or adhesives. All mail is shredded when it gets to the Burns facility.

? Writing, computer, and fax paper in white – accepted as “high-grade paper.”

Recycling volunteers are organized by Ruth McPherren of Prairie City. The organization has long been active since the early 1980s.

Under the new agreement, all shipping of material will be handled by 4R Recycling of Burns, and the local organization will be reimbursed by weight for operating expenses.

Volunteers will be provided with detailed instructions on the separation of recyclables. The Center is asking the public to help out by abiding by the new procedures.

Organizers hope to expand recycling opportunities with more accessible hours.

For more information or to volunteer, contact McPherren at 820-4326.