A few notes about curbside recycling in the city
The city plans to switch to once-a-week trash and recyling pick-up July 14, so it seems like a good time to talk about what is okay and what is NOT okay to put in your recyling bin.
I spoke recently to Tonya Simmon, Baltimore City's recycling coordinator, and she says more city residents are recycling since Baltimore launched single stream, curbside pickup. She guesstimates that 30-40 percent of residents are now participating.
The city offers details on its Web site about what is acceptable. These items include: paper such as magazines, The Baltimore Sun and junk mail. Also okay are books, cardboard, metal food containers (please rinse), glass containers, aluminum foil and pie tins and clean milk cartons.
But she said there are still some items showing up in the tubs that shouldn't be there. No. 1 is plastic bags. While the city used to require residents put recycling in blue plastic bags, the city NO LONGER ACCEPTS THEM. They are mucking up the automated process that Waste Management Inc. uses. The machines use optical scanners to sort materials, and when trash is present, a person has to pluck it out.
Many grocery stores now take the bags back. Safeway and Giant do. They also sell reusable bags, which are an even better alternative. Whole Foods annouced last year it would eliminate plastic bags altogether and said recently that reusable bag use has tripled since then.
For curbside pick-up, residents should use paper bags, cardboard boxes or a tub marked "recycling" -- you do NOT have to use the yellow ones sold by the city, but you can still get one if you want.
Another big offending material is Styrofoam. The city does NOT accept any of this. The list of no-nos also includes wire hangers and soiled containers and aerosol can that are not empty. Empties are okay.
The city is now accepting plastics labelled 1-7 on the bottm, but not all of it. They take narrow and wide mouth containers, which includes cottage cheese and yogurt containers and prescription bottles. No need to remove tops. Those plastic containers that sandwiches and some lettuce comes in are NOT okay. Those plastic things that hold beer cans together are also NOT acceptable.
All of this stuff can also be taken to one of Baltimore's eight drop-off sites.
Hard plastic toys, lawn chairs, laundry baskets, buckets and milk crates can NOT go into the curbside bin, but can be dropped off at the first five drop-off sites on the list, which also take electronics, such as old TVs and computers.
Did I cover it all?
Photo courtesy of Balimore Public Works
Comments
What about covered cardboard containers, like juice containers and such? I heard earlier in the year that they were not accepted, but were gonna be accepted in the near future. Do you know?
Posted by: maryann | June 11, 2009 8:32 AM
Whats the difference between The Sun and junk mail?
Posted by: Pat | June 11, 2009 8:43 AM
Multiple problems here:
- who can keep track of these rules (which the author implicitly admits in the last sentence)?
- who has the time for this? Hmmm, let me see, spend 15 more minutes sorting my recyclables and another hour taking the unacceptable ones to the dump, or spend that 75 minutes continuing the job search?
- note the uncovered recycling bins in the photo. For years, boaters have been blamed (by everyone, including boating publications!) for trash in the water, but how many of us have watched a gust of wind blow plastics out of these bins? You KNOW some of that ends up in our rivers, streams, and bays, which don't need that kind of help. Cover the darn bins please.
Posted by: Eastern Shore | June 11, 2009 9:46 AM
Baltimoreans should not complain...San Francisco just passed a new ordinance making it illegal not to recycle AND compost! The residents I heard interviewed were mostly enthusiastic about the new rule. Sometimes CA really seems like a different planet. Good for them!
Posted by: Anne | June 11, 2009 1:06 PM
To Eastern Shore:
In Baltimore City, you actually do not have to take 15min to sort. There is no sorting.
Also, in the city, you do not need to take anything to the dump. There is regular trash pickup, and for large items, they offer once a month at your door bulk pickup.
Yes, some stuff definitely does blow on the streets, but it is much better to recycle lots of stuff and decrease the trash.
Posted by: Rich in Baltimore | June 15, 2009 9:44 PM