Automated Recycling Frequently Asked Questions
Automated Recycling Frequently Asked Questions
- What should I do with my brown recycling bin?
Residents have several options. The Recycling Office recommends using the bin. Many households find that keeping their recycling bin inside their house and carry it to their new recycling cart outside is easy and convenient. Other reuse ideas include storing chemical waste in the bins and carrying them to the quarterly household hazardous waste collections; storing cleaning or automotive supplies in the bins; using them to store toys; or using the lids as a sled in the winter.
- What do I do with extra recycling, such as cardboard, that won't fit inside the cart? Can I put it in a bag next to the cart?
Only recyclables inside the recycling cart can be collected. Anything placed outside of the cart will be left behind. Because the new cart is almost double the capacity of the bin, this probably won't happen often. Cardboard should be placed inside the cart and flattened at a size no larger than 3x3. Extra recyclables can be taken to one of the 6 drop off sites located throughout the City:
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Main Street Library, 110 Main Street
Fire Station #4, 13561 Jefferson Avenue, near Ft. Eustis
Fire Station #6, 685 Oyster Point Road
Fire Station #10, 12455 Warwick Boulevard
Briarfield Fire Station #7, 5844 Marshall Avenue
Residential Waste Drop-off and Compost Facility, 550 Atkinson Way
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- What if I forget to set my recycling cart out on the day of my collection? Will they come by and collect it the following week?
No. If you miss your collection day, you will need to wait until your next regularly scheduled collection day or take it to one of the recycling drop off sites.
- What if 65-gallons is not enough room?
Some residents who have a large family or recycle a great deal will fill up the standard 65-gallon recycling cart prior to their collection days. If a household consistently fills the cart for a period of 3 or 4 collections, a 90-gallon recycling cart will be issued. Residents who need the larger cart should call 269-2850 for more information
- What if the recycling cart is just too big for my backyard or garage and I don't want it.
Recycling is encouraged but not mandatory. Upon request, the City will retrieve the 65-gallon recycling cart from your household, but you will only be able to recycle by using the drop off recycling centers.
- If I choose not to recycle, does my solid waste user fee go down?
No. Residents pay a weekly solid waste user fee based on the size of their garbage cart. The fee covers the cost of disposal; whether we landfill or recycle the material, the user fee stays the same. The user fee covers the costs of all solid waste services provided by the City, including household garbage, bulk waste, recycling, composting, and household hazardous waste collection/disposal.
- Won't these carts allow for people to put trash and non-recyclables inside them?
Yes, there is a risk of contamination in an automated recycling program. Since the driver emptying the cart does not see what is inside the cart prior to emptying the cart, anything non-recyclable is also collected. However, the contractor, Tidewater Fibre Corp., is committed to monitoring the recycling stream and will be able to narrow down by route any repeat contamination problems. Residents who abuse the recycling carts by placing trash inside them could lose their access to the recycling program.
- What materials are accepted in the recycling carts?
The recycling program is changing the container, not what is accepted. The same materials collected in the bin are being collected in the cart. The following is a list of what is accepted in the recycling program:
- aluminum cans and metal food cans
- aluminum foil and foil products
- paperboard items (cereal boxes)
- glass bottles and jars (clear, green, brown)
- plastic bottles (with a neck and a #1 or #2 on the bottom)
- corrugated boxes (flattened and no larger than 3x3)
- brown paper grocery bags, magazines, newspaper, telephone books, junk mail (including inserts)
- Why can't we put plastic bags in the recycling cart?
The Contractor does not have a market for plastic bags. If we were to collect them, we would be essentially stockpiling garbage because no company wants the material.
- What time will they be by my house to collect my recycling cart?
Collection times may vary. Your recycling cart must be curbside by 7:00 a.m. the day of your collection.
- Can I put yard waste in my recycling cart?
No. Yard waste placed inside the recycling cart is considered contamination and the cart will not be emptied. For information on yard waste, call the Solid Waste Division.
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| Questions? Call the Public Works Call Center at 757-269-2700. |
