County Re-use Mercantile shops give new value to recycled goods

The St. Charles County Department of Community Health and the Environment’s Recycle Works program strongly supports the mantra “Reduce, Re-Use, and Recycle.”  To further this effort, the department’s Re-Use Mercantile shops are open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month and the Saturday that follows. The shops give additional value to items that may otherwise end up in area landfills.  The next sales are scheduled on Wednesday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Sept. 22.

The Re-Use Mercantile shops at both Recycle Works Central in St. Charles, and Recycle Works West in Wentzville, are a self-sustaining operation, with revenues generated used to offset operational costs of the facilities that have processed nearly 35 million pounds of recycled goods since opening in 1990.

Materials for sale are comprised from items collected throughout the year, including electronics, appliances, sporting goods and government surplus.  Along with fully functioning exercise equipment, lawn-care items and appliances, customers can pick up other devices, including such as things as computer accessories, cell phone chargers and electronics cable.

Both of the county’s Recycle Works locations are conveniently located and open to the public.  Recycle Works Central is located at 60 Triad South Drive off Central School Road.  Recycle Works West is located at 2110 E. Pitman Ave. between Lake Saint Louis Boulevard and Hwy. 40/61.  Both locations are open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In addition to the Re-Use Mercantile shops, from today through Nov. 24, St. Charles County residents may safely dispose of household hazardous waste that typically is not collected by curbside recycling programs.  Residents may bring unwanted items like chemicals, automobile fluids, pesticides, and oil-based paints (latex paints are not accepted) to the Recycle Works Central location from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and on the last Saturday of each month, with no appointment necessary.  There is a nominal $10 fee for loads up to 50 pounds, with additional fees for larger sized collections.

St. Charles County collects a wide variety of materials through these two drop-off centers and accepts most items at little or no cost.  For a complete list of items accepted and recycling fees charged at the Recycle Works locations, or for information on preparing material for recycling, please visit www.scchealth.org/docs/es.  To speak with an attendant at the facilities, call 949-1800.