Talking Trash

We moved our blog - please update your readers

05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

We have moved!

Please continue to read our Division of Solid Waste posts at http://mcrecycles.blogspot.com

See you over at "Talkin' Trash"!

-- posted by Susanne

Storm Update - No collection service on 10/29/12 or 10/30/12 - modified schedule this week

28 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EST

We have cancelled Montgomery County-provided recycling, yard trim, and trash collection service for Monday and Tuesday, due to the high wind and storm conditions that have been predicted.

After the storm, all collections will slide, and be two days later than normal.

Assuming that roads are passable, we will resume our normal collection schedule on Monday, November 5, 2012.

If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday	Thursday, November 1, 2012
Wednesday	Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday	Saturday, November 3, 2012
Friday	Sunday, November 4, 2012

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850)

Columbus Day 2012 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

04 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EST

Monday, October 8, 2012 - Columbus Day - is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Monday, October 8, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday	Tuesday, October 9, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday	Wednesday, October 10, 2012 (no change)
Thursday	Thursday, October 11, 2012 (no change)
Friday	Friday, October 12, 2012 (no change)

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850)

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

no changes to hours of operation
Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

no changes to hours of operation
Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

Watch our new video: "Just Mow & Go! Tips for Grasscycling"

We just added a new grasscycling DVD to our "web store". You may order it at no charge, or... watch it directly from our website!

Autumn is a great time to start composting, or to refresh existing bins with newly-fallen leaves. Our video, "Composting - Make it happen", walks you through the basics. If you need a compost bin, we have those also. Check our compost bin pickup location list to find the site most convenient to you.

Bring your paper to our October 2012 shredding and recycling event

Mark your calendars for our series of Fall paper shredding and recycling events! They are free of charge, open to all residents, and held rain or shine. No businesses, please.

See details about accepted items and the full schedule, and sign up for shredding announcements/reminders

Our next event will be held on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at
Ridge Road Recreational Park
21155 Frederick Road
Germantown, MD 20876
Google Map

Event time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Add the October 21 event to your electronic calendar

Combine your paper drop-off with a visit to the park's features!

-- posted by Susanne

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Solid Waste Transfer Station and Processing Facility OPEN on July 4, 2012

03 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EST

Our Solid Waste Transfer Station and Processing Facility will be OPEN July 4, 2012 from 9 am to 5 pm for trash, recycling and storm debris/yard trim drop-off from residents only. Please use the Frederick Road/Route 355 entrance. Transfer Station details for July 4.

- posted by Susanne

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Storm cleanup update - July 2, 2012

02 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EST

Update for Monday, July 2, 2012

We are running normal recycling and trash collection services today for our Monday residents. Collection may be slower than normal -- we're expecting increases in trash as a result of residents disposing of spoiled food, as well as potentially blocked neighborhood streets and dark traffic signals.

Here are some specifics for cleaning up

For curbside collection of storm debris, the usual yard trim bundling requirements remain in effect:

Individual pieces of brush must be no longer than 4 feet long, and no thicker than 4 inches in diameter.
Bundles of brush must be no wider than 30 inches in diameter.
Bundles of brush, and bags or cans of yard trim must weigh less than 45 pounds.
There is no limit on how much yard trim you may set out for collection.

-- posted by Susanne

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Independence Day 2012 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

28 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EST

Subscribe to our holiday reminders (Available as wireless alerts, too!)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - Independence Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Monday, July 2, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday	Tuesday, July 3, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday	Thursday, July 5, 2012
Thursday	Friday, July 6, 2012
Friday	Saturday, July 7, 2012

Use this iCal link to add our holiday schedule for recycling and trash collection to your electronic calendar (Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.):
https://www.google.com/calendar/ical/rqop1duqgob4fomet7rvclsggk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850)

Note: if you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Tuesday, July 3, 2012: Open with normal hours
Wednesday, July 4, 2012: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed
Thursday, July 5, 2012: Open with normal hours

Poolesville Beauty Spot

Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

No changes to hours of operation at this time

Clamshells and other #1 plastics now accepted

Effective immediately, our Montgomery County recycling program now includes PET thermoform plastic containers and "clamshell" packaging for fruits, vegetables, bakery and deli items. PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, containers are easily identified by the #1 code on or near the bottom.

See photo examples of newly-accepted plastic items on our blog.
Download our handy mailer, or our updated Recycling Basics flyer as a reference
Read the news release announcing the program expansion, including background information

-- posted by Susanne

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New plastic items accepted for recycling!

28 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EST

Recycling in Montgomery County just got easier!

Our recycling program now accepts #1 PET thermoform packaging. This is packaging made from plastic resin #1, also called "polyethylene terephthalate". To shape it, sheets of this resin are warmed and then pressed into molds.

To recycle the new items, shake out any crumbs, give the items a quick rinse if needed, and add them to your blue recycling bin for collection.

What is included in this program expansion? Clamshell containers! In addition, we now take trays, deli containers, lids, domes, and cups.

Read more detail about the plastics our recycling program accepts. Download our plastics postcard (PDF, 1.1 MB) for handy reference.

Here are examples of some of the new plastic items…

Clamshell containers

Bakery trays and cake domes

Condiment cups

Cups

Deli trays and containers

Fruit and vegetable containers and baskets

Tubs and lids

-- posted by Susanne

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May I recycle sticker backings?

20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Happy Spring!

To help you with spring cleaning, here's a dip into our mailbag. Someone recently asked us:

May I recycle sticker backings?

We checked with our paper recycler, who said... yes! In fact, if you have stickers or labels which you are not able to use or reuse, we can accept those as well.

And, of course, when a sticker or label is stuck to paper, cardboard or envelopes which you're recycling, you may leave it stuck right where it is -- you do not need to remove it. (However, you might like to remove labels with your name or address to help prevent identity theft.)

Read more about our paper recycling program.

-- posted by Susanne

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Community Paper Shredding and Recycling Event will be held in Rockville on March 24, 2012

23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The next NBC4-PNC Bank Community Shred Community Shred will be in Montgomery County!

This free community paper shredding and recycling event will be held at the Montgomery College Rockville Campus on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

Visit our paper shredding webpage for full details on location, time, materials accepted, and quantity limits.

Do you shred your paper at home? We accept shredded paper in our weekly recycling collections. Follow our shredded paper preparation instructions and set your paper recyclables out on your collection day.

-- posted by Susanne

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Why must recyclables be separated for collection?

08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

One of the questions I am most often asked is "Why must I separate my recyclables for collection?" The answer has to do with the way our Recycling Center, or Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), is designed. The MRF is where all the recyclables are sorted by material type and processed for market.

Our customers are asked to separate materials into two containers, and our collection trucks are separated into two compartments because the MRF is divided into two sections.

The Montgomery County MRF has two separate sorting lines: one for paper products (including cardboard), and the other for commingled items (bottles, cans, jars, and containers). When the recycling collection truck enters the MRF, the paper side of the truck is emptied in one area, and the commingled in another.

The two "streams" of material are processed separately. When the commingled materials travel through the series of conveyors in the MRF, the glass, plastic, aluminum and steel items are further separated from each other. After this final separation, each material is prepared separately (most are baled) and shipped to market.

This dual stream system results in cleaner bales of material, which are easier to market. These bales bring in a higher value, enabling the MRF to cover its operating costs.

View our online MRF tour to learn more about how this facility works. We welcome your visits in person, too!

Robin D. Ennis
Chief, Collections Section
Division of Solid Waste Services