Talking Trash

Friday, October 31, 2008

Recycling Center Tips: flexible metal conduit is not a blue bin material

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

We accept metal cans, tins, and foil products in our weekly curbside recycling program.

Sometimes, people expand that, thinking "if it's metal, it must be ok."  And, they drop their metal item into their blue bin.

But, it's not ok.  For example, flexible metal conduit bends and pokes when it is intact.  And when it unravels, as it inevitably does, it bends, pokes, and wraps around bits of  the Recycling Center's sorting machinery all the more.  It would make great "hair" for a wild Halloween costume, or for a sculpture.  However, please keep it out of blue bins.

Tip: Please recycle flexible metal conduit (and the rigid type, too) by taking it to the scrap metal recycling area at our Solid Waste Transfer Station. 

-- posted by Susanne

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CATEGORIES: Recycling , Recycling Center
POSTED: 11:15:00 AM |

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Recycling Center Tips: empty your bottles

My camera and I recently spent a morning visiting our Recycling Center's Operations Manager.  I wanted to find out more about those "thanks, but no" items -- things which residents send to the Recycling Center, but which we cannot accept.

In preparation for my visit, Recycling Center staff had pulled aside a pile of items for me to see.  Sporting my borrowed hard hat, I strode out onto the tipping floor with the manager.  This is the area in which the recycling trucks which collect material from your blue bins and wheeled paper carts dump, or tip, their contents.

The time passed quickly as we proceeded through our show-and-tell; it was fascinating to hear about the do's and don'ts of Montgomery County's recycling program from the manager's very practical operations perspective.  My many questions were answered patiently, and I completely filled my camera's memory card with photos.  I look forward to sharing my learnings with you in a series of "Recycling Center Tips" blog entries.

The day of my visit was pleasant and sunny, with few clouds wafting about.  It had not rained in several days.  Yet, a large puddle covered a section of floor quite a distance from the building entrance.  Puzzling... what could possibly have been the source?

When the sorting workers find bottles with water, juice, or soda remaining inside, they pull these bottles aside.  When the bottle container is full, it is dumped out on the tipping floor.  The front-end loader then runs over the bottles, crushing them, and allowing the liquids to drain out... thus forming the puddle I saw.

The crushed, and now empty, bottles are then put back onto the conveyer belts for sorting.

Tip: please empty beverage bottles before adding them to your blue bin.

-- posted by Susanne

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CATEGORIES: Plastic , Recycling , Recycling Center
POSTED: 12:04:00 PM |

Monday, October 06, 2008

Save the date for America Recycles Day!

Join millions of Americans nationwide in celebrating America Recycles Day on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

America Recycles Day promotes the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and encourages more people to join the movement toward creating a better natural environment through increased recycling. 

We are participating on November 15th by hosting events at multiple locations throughout Montgomery County that will offer paper shredding, clothing and household goods donation, and household hazardous waste collection services for Montgomery County residents only; as well as provide information on reducing, reusing, and recycling waste and buying products made with recycled content.

Watch our America Recycles Day webpage for details and updates.  Or, call us at 240-777-6400 for more information.

Even if you do not attend one of our County events, consider what you can do to increase your recycling or reduce the amount of waste you generate—every little bit makes a difference!

-- posted by America Recycles Day Planning Team

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CATEGORIES: Hazardous Waste , News , Paper , Recycling
POSTED: 2:19:00 PM |