No recycling in Crosby; county has options

Crow Wing County has four recycling drop sites available for use to all county residents.
—Crow Wing County Landfill, 15728 State Highway 210, Brainerd
—Ideal Township Transfer Station, 33503 West Island Lake Drive, Pequot Lakes
—City of Nisswa, 25636 Main Street, Nisswa
—Crow Wing Township, 6930 Cuyuna Avenue, Brainerd
Historically there were 12 drop sites located throughout the county, however increasing costs have led to a reduction in the number of sites. Two sites that have recently closed their recycling operations include the City of Crosby and Crosslake Roll-Off.
The City of Crosby had challenges with contamination, overfilled dumpsters, and overall monitoring of the site, so the city requested the county provide extra funding to help with monitoring, or remove the dumpsters altogether. Contamination fees have amounted to 20+ percent of Crosby’s overall recycling bill. Crosslake Roll-Off was challenged with increasing costs.
Looking forward into 2021, the county is considering moving forward with two drop-off sites located at the County Landfill and the Ideal Transfer Station. The county is also considering offering a 50 percent cost sharing program for cities and townships that prefer to have a recycling drop site in their jurisdiction. “An option where local governments can partner with the county is one of the best ways to share costs and continue to provide additional recycling opportunities”, stated Ryan Simonson, Environmental Services Supervisor.
In addition to the drop-off sites, an even better recycling method is curbside service. Four cities have ordinances in place requiring haulers to provide curbside recycling in their cities. These cities include Brainerd, Baxter, Pequot Lakes, and Ironton. “The county encourages these types of curbside recycling ordinances because the volume speaks for itself”, added Simonson. The Cities of Brainerd and Baxter recycle more volume through curbside service than is recycled at all of the drop-off locations combined.
The Landfill site and Ideal Transfer Station are located in the southcentral and northwestern portions of the county, respectively, and serve a large number of residents. The distance from downtown Nisswa to the Ideal Transfer Station is 10.9 miles. Downtown Crosslake is 12 miles from the transfer station. Further south, the distance from downtown Deerwood to the Landfill is 9.6 miles, while downtown Crosby is only 6.8 miles from the Landfill.