Talking Trash

Friday, June 11, 2010

Can a gas lawnmower be put out for a special pick up?

Photo credit: G. A. Corrick

From our mailbag:

Can a gas lawnmower be put out for a special pick up?

Thanks for your question, J.! 

Yes, we accept gas (and other) lawnmowers in our scrap metal recycling program.  To request a curbside collection, just call us at 240-777-6410.  We must receive your call by 11 a.m. on the business day before your recycling day.  The pickups are made on your recycling day.

To prepare your mower for collection, remove all gas and oil from it.  If the mower has a battery, take it out.  Then, set the mower at your curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling day. (We accept batteries in our Household Hazardous Waste Program.)

Have a riding mower to recycle?  We cannot accept it as curbside scrap metal.  However, we do accept riding mowers at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station scrap metal drop-off area. 

So, that takes care of lawnmowers.  But, take a closer look at the lawnmower photo above. What do you spot in the blue bin?  See any issues?  We'll revisit this in the next blog post!

-- posted by Susanne

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

What happens to bikes you recycle?

What happens to the bicycles you set out for curbside scrap metal recycling, or add to the scrap metal pile at the Shady Grove Transfer Station?

Our staff sorts through the bikes, setting aside those which are in good condition.  We partner with Bikes for the World, a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, to put as many bikes as possible back into use.  Bikes in damaged or rusty condition are recycled as scrap metal.

And what is the next step for bikes collected by Bikes for the World? Through selected non-profit agencies near and far, they become transportation for people who use them to get to work or school.

In honor of the International Day of Climate Action, Bikes for the World has set a goal of collecting and shipping 350 bikes at its collection events this weekend.  Two of its events will be in Montgomery County:

• Saturday, October 24, 2009, 9 am – 12 noon
  St. Paul’s Catholic Community,
  at the Community Gazebo, corner Rt. 108 and Rt. 124,
  Damascus MD 20872
• Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10 am – 2 pm
  Congregation Beth El,
  8215 Old Georgetown Road,
  Bethesda MD 20814

In addition to bicycles, Bikes for the World also accepts bike-related items, sewing machines, and cell phones.

• Bike donation guidelines
• Full schedule of Bikes for the World collection events and drop-off locations

-- posted by Susanne

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Recycling Center Tips: Only metal cans and foil products in your blue bins, please

Another installment of learnings from my trip to our Recycling Center...

Remember that metal conduit? Unfortunately, it is often in the company of other metal items that poke and prod the equipment at our Recycling Center.  Here are some examples:

A metal roasting pan and metal piece with sharp edges (the round item at the top left is a tea kettle, also in the "thanks, but no" category for blue bin curbside collection)

Here is a piece of what looked like part of a metal frame (plus that tea kettle again!)

The thing is that our sorting process and machinery are set up for accepting metal only in the form of cans and aluminum foil products. Oversize items can jam up the works.  And, those sharp edges and pointy bits can damage the machinery (more on that later...).

Tip: We provide curbside scrap metal collection for large items at no charge.  And, we have a handy shortcut for details about this popular service: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/scrapmetal. If you have smaller amounts of scrap metal, or prefer to transport the metal yourself, use the scrap metal recycling area at our Solid Waste Transfer Station, also at no charge.

-- posted by Susanne

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Old refrigerators doors from Montgomery County become art at the National Building Museum

When the folks planning the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR^® Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign Art Exhibition needed refrigerator doors earlier this summer, they came to us.  Specifically, they turned to our Solid Waste Transfer Station, the facility which receives refrigerators for recycling.  And, our Transfer Station staff was happy to assist with their request.

The refrigerator door art has been created, and the show, titled "The Art of Recycling: The Coolest Show in Town", opens this coming Monday!  It runs from August 25 through September 2, 2008, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Calculate the amount of energy used by your refrigerator, learn about ENERGY STAR^® models, and more at the Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign.  If you decide it's time to replace your refrigerator, remember that we provide curbside pickups at no charge through our scrap metal recycling program.

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

And the winner of our Scrap Metal Recycling Challenge is...

The winner of our Scrap Metal Recycling Challenge is the Cabin John community!

Cabin John residents recycled 20,284 pounds of scrap metal over the 7-week period from March 1 through April 18, 2008.  Congratulations also go to the residents of Carderock Springs, who recycled 13,478 pounds of scrap metal during the Challenge.

The Challenge award, a clock made of reused and recycled metal parts, was given by Eileen Kao, Chief of our Waste Reduction and Recycling Section.

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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Does a bread machine count as a small appliance?

From our mailbag:

I have a question about which electronics that are taken for recycling - do dvd players and bread machines count as small appliances?

Thanks for your question, L. Yes, we can now accept both of your items for recycling!

Please bring your DVD player to our newly expanded electronics recycling drop-off.  And, please bring your bread machine to our scrap metal recycling pile.  Both of these areas are located in the Recycling area of our Solid Waste Transfer Station.

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Monday, March 24, 2008

Recycling Fact Sheets on 6 topics now available in our "web store"

We've just put recycling fact sheets on six popular topics into our "web store" for download.  These topics are:

• Aluminum & Bimetal Cans and Products
• Commingled Materials (cans, bottles, and jars)
• Mixed Paper
• Plastic Bottles with Narrow Necks
• Scrap Metal
• Yard Trim

We find the fact sheets handy for answering many frequently asked questions.  If you would like a quantity of any of these fact sheets to distribute to your neighborhood, multi-family tenants, employees, or other group, just let us know!

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Scrap Metal Recycling Challenge Update

Scrap metal items of all shapes and sizes are coming in to the Scrap Metal Recycling Challenge!

Here are some of the items we saw on our site visits this week:

They have ranged from the more common...

to the fancier...

 

and even the ornate...

Remember, this Challenge is a special project accepting a wider range of smaller metal items than we typically collect.  Our curbside scrap metal recycling program, available to residents with Montgomery County-provided recycling collection, is for large metal items only.

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Friday, February 29, 2008

Scrap Metal Recycling Challenge begins March 1, 2008

Starting March 1, the communities of Cabin John and Carderock Springs will compete by... recycling scrap metal!  The Scrap Metal Recycling Challenge will run for seven weeks, from March 1 through April 18, 2008.

The Challenge will be supported by more than 120 volunteers.  We trained them this week, and they are ready to recycle lots of scrap metal!

We'll measure each community's progress by weighing the metal collected from its residents.  At the end of the Challenge, we'll compare the weights, and announce the winner.

Don't live in Cabin John or Carderock Springs? We provide curbside scrap metal recycling for your large metal items at no charge.  And, we accept both large and small metal items for recycling when you bring them to the Scrap Metal area at our Solid Waste Transfer Station.

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