The Public Service Department of the City of Grinnell has 16 full time employees and 8 seasonal employees.  The Public Services Department provides a variety of services for the community, including grounds maintenance of all city parks as well as other city owned properties.  Grounds maintenance of the Cemetery as well as all lot sales and burials. 

The Public Services Department also provides Solid Waste and Recycling services for the City of Grinnell along with a drop off center for recyclables located at the Public Services Building at 1411-1st Avenue. 

In the past, we have said it was not necessary to pre-sort the items in your Red Recycling Bin. However, since the increased volume, we have found that it takes double the labor for collection. We may spend as much as (8) eight to (10) ten minutes at just one stop sorting materials. Many customers are already practicing the pre-sorting which is just simply keeping all the same materials grouped together in their red bins.

Some examples are all the newsprint in the bottom of the Red Bin, followed by the magazines and on top of that all flattened cardboard. The remaining items such as tin cans, plastics and glass are sorted into separate paper bags. In some cases customers have purchased an extra Red Bin which are available at the Public Services Department for $8.00.

All containers must be properly rinsed out before placing into the red bin for collection. This includes all food containers, detergent bottles, etc. If items have not been rinsed the collection person may leave items in your bin.

In addition, with the increased volume we are finding people are trying to recycle many items that are not acceptable in this program.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN THIS PROGRAM.

Cellophane

Plastic packaging - (examples: toilet tissue, paper towels, disposable diapers packaging, etc.)

Plastic Bags - (even though they may be marked with a recycling #2 on them, they are not accepted in our program at this time.)

Styrofoam, Styrofoam packing peanuts - any Styrofoam even with a number on it is not recyclable in our program, at this time.

Hard cover books - the covers need to be removed before placing in your red bin. If you have several be sure the box is less than 60 lbs., this also includes boxes of magazines, etc.

Light Bulbs, Plate Glass (windows), and Household Glassware - these items should be disposed of in your regular trash. Fluorescent bulbs may be placed next to the trash for collection at no extra charge. If bulbs are broken, please place in a box clearly marked glass and place next to your trash, it will be collected at no extra charge.

Wax Coated Drinking Cups, Milk or Juice Containers - these items are to be disposed of in your regular trash.

Broken Glass - should not be placed in the recycling bin, it should be disposed of with your regular trash. Place in box next to your trash clearly marked broken glass.

Used Personal Hygiene Products - some of these types of items have been showing up in recycling bins such as: Toilet Tissue, Kleenex, Paper Towels, Disposable Diapers, and Feminine Hygiene Products. These items are NOT at all recyclable and can cause health concerns for our employees!

We understand that it is somewhat frustrating after collection finding that some items were left behind. A basic rule is if an item is left in your bin it should be placed in your trash the following week. We now have a Non-Collection Notice sticker, which the driver will fill out and attach to your bin explaining why the items were left. The notice is on bright green paper, and a carbon copy is kept on file for our records.

Our hopes are that this Notice will make things easier for you the customer and the City of Grinnell. If we all do our part, it will help keep collection costs down for everyone.

Thank you for your cooperation!
2/28/06

Questions about the City of Grinnell's recycling program should be directed to Glenn Baker, Director of Public Services at 641-236-2632.

Electronic Recycling Guidelines

Goodwill Industries
The Grinnell Goodwill store located at 230 West Street (across from KFC on Highway 146) will accept all computer electronics, in working condition or not, free of charge. If items are in working condition or can be refurbished they will be used by clients of Goodwill Industries or resold at Goodwill outlets. All drives donated will be degaussed (a process that uses high power magnets to scramble the data) and any to be refurbished will have a 3 pass wipe of the drive. Goodwill Industries uses Dell certified recyclers.

Curbside Pickup: TVs, Monitors & Printers, Fax Machines & Copiers
Residents of Grinnell can arrange for curbside pickup of large e-waste items by the City. They must call the Public Service  Department at 236-2632 to arrange for pickup and purchase the appropriate sticker to attach to the item.

• Desktop printer, fax, copier: $10
• Monitor or TV under 19”: $15
• Monitor or TV over 19”: $25
• Large printers/copies (on rollers): $25

County Landfill/Transfer Station
All e-waste can be taken to the county facility for recycling. Items can be dropped off during standard operating hours. More information is available on their website
The following fees apply to listed items:

• Desktop printer, fax, copier: $5
• Monitor or TV under 19”: $10
• Monitor or TV over 19”: $20
• Large printers/copies (on rollers): $20

Electronic Waste Includes:
Personal Computers
Monitors
Walkman, iPods, MP3 players
Computer Gaming items
Keyboards and Mice
Printers
Copiers and Scanners
VCRs
Stereos
Networking Hardware
Disk Drives
Servers and Mainframes
Audio/Visual Equipment
CB & Ham Radios
Computers Manuals
Software
Televisions
Telephones
Fax Machines
Circuit Boards
Cable and Satellite Equipment
Computer Cables and Wires
Misc. Electronic Equipment

Hazelwood Cemetery

Hazelwood Cemetery Rules and Regulations   (Link to PDF file)

Hazelwood Cemetery
120 First Avenue West
Grinnell, IA 50112

Mike Johnson, Groundskeeper.
Persons with questions or in need of information on purchasing lots in Hazelwood Cemetery should contact the Public Service Department.