Leaf vacuuming begins November 6, 2006

Many residents think the Division of Solid Waste Services provides their leaf vacuuming in the Fall. Sorry, we don't! The leaf vacuuming is done by our good colleagues in the Highway Maintenance Section.

Highway Maintenance announced that this year's vacuuming begins on Monday, November 6, 2006. The collections are anticipated to run through mid-December. (The end-date is always weather-permitting!)

What's the difference between the Highway Maintenance and the Division of Solid Waste Services leaf collections?

• In the Highway Maintenance program, leaves must be raked to the curb in time for the posted collection date - no bagging required. Leaf vacuuming details - including a service area map and collection status reports.
• The Division of Solid Waste Services' yard trim collection includes leaves, grass, and brush. Pickups are made weekly on your recycling day, all year round. Leaves set out for this collection must be in large paper bags or in reusable, labeled containers (like trash cans). Curbside yard trim collection details
  

October 9, Columbus Day - normal schedule

Monday, October 9, 2006, 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 you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

Safe & Secure Community Shred - Sept. 30, 2006

Consider the Safe & Secure Community Shred for those personal papers you've been concerned about putting into your weekly paper recycling collection.

Bring up to 5 boxes of personal papers -- staples and paper clips do not need to be removed! -- on Saturday, September 30, 2006, from 8 a.m. to Noon. Event details

The Montgomery County location is:
Mercantile Potomac Bank
260 East Jefferson St.
Rockville, MD 20850

We went to the polls with our literature, too

Most of the flyers and brochures available as you make your way into your polling place on Election Day urge to you support this or that candidate.

For Tuesday's primary elections, some of our staff hung out their shingle for voters as well. As folks came to cast their vote, many stopped to chat with us, learn about recycling, waste reduction, and what to do with their trash.

Based on Tuesday's success, look for us outside polling places in November!

Invite us to your next community event -- we're happy to join you.

Can I recycle Tyvek® envelopes into my blue bin?

From our electronic mailbag:

We frequently get mail packaged in so-called "Tyvek" envelopes. The U.S. Postal Services gives away Priority Mail envelopes made of Tyvek. These Tyvek envelopes are marked with the recycling triangle enclosing the number "2" and are marked HDPE (high density polyethylene). My question is: Can "Tyvek" envelopes be recycled in the blue bin for cans, bottles and No. 2 recyclable containers?

The answer is "yes"! While we don't accept Tyvek® envelopes in our blue bin program, you may send them in to be recycled. If you receive these envelopes, check out this Tyvek® envelope recycling option.

Thanks for your question, R.!

- - - - -

Update - April 30, 2010

Comment received from L:

I did a google search for "is tyvek recyclable" and found your blog... took me straight to their website where I was able to find the information (link was outdated), but at least it let me know it was there! Thank you, thank you!

Thanks for your feedback, L! I have updated the link.

Why a bulk trash pickup didn't include the bedframe

From our electronic mailbag:

"I left an old mattress, boxspring, and bedframe (separated into 2 pieces) out on my regular collection day. The mattress and boxspring were taken but the frame was left. Aren't these items supposed to be picked up as well?"

Sorry, the bedframe was probably left behind intentionally when your bulk trash collection was made. Why?!

Here are two potential answers:

1. Did you schedule a scrap metal recycling pickup for the bedframe? The mattress and boxspring are trash. But, the bedframe is metal, and will therefore not be taken by the trash crew. Scrap metal collections are made on your regular collection day. But, the truck only comes to you by request.
2. Did you include the bedframe on your itemized list when you requested the pickup? We want to help make sure that crews pick up only what you want them to take. So, we ask that they carefully follow the list of items you provide when you schedule the collection. If it's not on the list, it won't be included.

Request a scrap metal recycling collection through our website: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/scrapmetal

What types of plastic bags are recyclable at grocery stores?

Excepted from a post on CafeMontgomery (a local treasure trove of all sorts of community information!):

...what type of plastic is allowed in the recycling bins at the grocery stores?

I was just cutting the paper labels off some clean, dry bags, and realized that they feel very different from one another, and that some have numbers and a recycling symbol and others don't...( I found 1, 2, 4, and 5!)

...so please, tell me what I should be doing!

Many of the collected grocery bags end up going to Trex, a company which turns grocery bags, stretch films (like the kind used to wrap loaded shipping pallets), and waste wood into recycled plastic decking, railings, fencing, and landscape edging.

Here are the Trex specifications for the grocery bags they accept: http://www.trex.com/Suppliers/grocery.asp

In a nutshell, they want bags made from polyethylene, which is resin #4.

A quick tipsheet for interpreting those other resins mentioned in the specifications:
PVC: resin #3
polystyrene: resin #6
polyurethane foam: if labeled at all, should be resin #7
polypropylene: resin #5
PET: #1

Thanks, M. -- great question!

Bookcrossing - another way to reuse books!

From our mail bag...

I recently read the piece from the July newsletter about recycling books. You did say, it was good to re-use them and one resource you may or may not be aware of is the Bookcrossing program.

To see what it’s all about, go to www.bookcrossing.com and it will explain the program. Basically, it involves leaving books that you’ve read (and don’t intend to keep) in public places where they can be picked up by other book lovers. There’s more to it, like “joining” Bookcrossing and registering the book, but the outcome is that books get passed along and not discarded.

Just sharing another possible course of action re: keeping books out of the trash.

Thanks, B., for sharing this resource, and for adding to our list of book reuse opportunities!

Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2006 - modified collection schedule

Monday, September 4, 2006, Labor Day, is a recycling and trash holiday. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be one day later than normal.

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

• Monday, 9/4/06, Labor Day: no County-provided collections
  
• Tuesday, 9/5/06, Monday's collections
  
• Wednesday, 9/6/06, Tuesday's collections
• Thursday, 9/7/06, Wednesday's collections
• Friday, 9/8/06, Thursday's collections
• Saturday, 9/9/06, Friday's collections

Shady Grove Transfer Station:

• closed: Monday, 9/4/2006.
• reopens with normal hours: Tuesday, 9/5/2006.

Added 9/1/06: Normal hours at our Beauty Spots on Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3, 2006.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection: November 4, Silver Spring

Our second "satellite" Household Hazardous Waste collection event will be at the Silver Spring International Middle School, November 4, 2006, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Location: 313 Wayne Ave (Dale Dr. and Wayne Ave.), Silver Spring.

Categories: News_

Household Hazardous Waste Collection: October 14, 2006, Bethesda

Just announced: we'll hold a Household Hazardous Waste collection event at the Westland Middle School on Saturday, October 14, 2006, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Location: 5511 Massachusetts Avenue (west of Little Falls Parkway), Bethesda MD 20816.

Reminder: Latex paint is not a hazardous waste. Just dry it up, and then put the can into your regular household trash.

Need paint? We've got free paint available at the Shady Grove Transfer Station! Our "inventory" changes daily!

Categories: News_

"Builders' Recycling Guide" for construction and demolition materials

Our Use It Again guide to repair, rental, and reuse opportunities in the Montgomery County area has long been popular among our residents and other wishing to find options for their household items.

Now, there's a new tool for another category of items: construction and demolition material! Published by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Builders' Recycling Guide should be a very helpful aid for the building industry -- as well as residents who have materials from do-it-yourself projects.

Categories: Recycling_

Scrap metal collection = curbside convenience

Need to get rid of an appliance, swing set, bicycle, metal shed, or other large metal item? What you *don't* need to do is worry about how to load it into a vehicle and get it to the Shady Grove Transfer Station. Of course, we will be happy to accept your metal items there. But,...

We'll come to *you* to pick up your scrap metal items! Simply request a scrap metal recycling collection, and then set the item(s) at your curb on the scheduled day.

For details about our scrap metal recycling program, and to request a collection:
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/scrapmetal

Concrete, Asphalt, Dirt, Stumps, and more: Not on Sundays, please

Did you know that the Shady Grove Transfer Station accepts concrete, asphalt, dirt, stumps, and similar bulky materials? You may bring these materials for disposal Monday through Saturday. Please use the Truck Entrance on Shady Grove Road.

Why not on Sundays? Even small amounts of these materials can weigh a lot. That's why all vehicles bringing them must go over the Transfer Station scales. And, the scales are located at the Truck Entrance.

What does it cost? There's no fee for loads of trash weighing up to 499 pounds. The fee schedule applies to loads weighing 500 pounds or more.

Shady Grove Transfer Station hours and fees

Categories: Trash_

Why it's so important to dry out your paint before disposal

The best thing to do with leftover or no-longer-needed paint is to put it to use. If you can't use it yourself, give it to someone else.

If that's not possible, dispose of latex (water-based) paint in your regular household trash. We've got how-to instructions on our website.

Making sure that the paint is completely solidified before you set it out for trash collection is critical. Paint spills are very challenging to clean up.

(Reminder: it's only oil-based paint which must be disposed of as household hazardous waste. If the oil-based paint is from your business, consider our Ecowise program for small-quantity generators.)

Categories: Trash_

Newsletter Helper: Book recycling

Now you may simply recycle your hardback books by tossing them into your curbside paper recycling collection. Read more in the July 2006 Newsletter Helper!

Categories: Newsletter Helper_, Recycling_

Reuse for no-longer-needed medications

Have unused or no-longer-needed prescription medications? There are a number of organizations which collect these items for medicine recycling (also called drug recycling).

Here are two organizations which accept medications used for managing HIV. AND –- they also take drugs used to treat secondary conditions, such as antibiotics, antifungals, anti-emetics, and more.

• www.aidforaids.org/donate_faqs.php
• www.thestarfishproject.org/donate.cfm

Know of any local medicine recycling programs? I'd be happy to add them to our resource list.

Addition: just found this one: www.madre.org/programs/ha/medicalproject_wish.html

Categories: Recycling_

July 4, 2006 - modified collection schedule

Tuesday, July 4, 2006, Independence Day, is a recycling and trash holiday. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be one day later than normal.

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

• Monday, 7/3/06, normal collection schedule
• Tuesday, 7/4/06, Independence Day: best wishes for the holiday!
• Wednesday, 7/5/06, Tuesday's collections
• Thursday, 7/6/06, Wednesday's collections
• Friday, 7/7/06, Thursday's collections
• Saturday, 7/8/06, Friday's collections

Shady Grove Transfer Station:

• closed: Tuesday, 7/4/2006.
• reopens with normal hours: Wednesday, 7/5/2006.

Categories: News_

Dispose of water- and flood-damaged items

Have these heavy rains left your household with rain- or flood-damaged items?

We have disposal instructions on our website.

Metal cans: to cut or not to cut off the lid

Yesterday, a resident wrote:

I use a hand-operated can opener, and usually open the can about 90 percent and pour out the contents so that the lid doesn't splash down.

Should I continue cranking until the lid separates, and throw the lid away?

Or should I leave the lid attached and carefully bend it back so that no sharp edges protrude?

Both lid-opening options are fine for recycling metal cans. But, please give us the lid in either case. If you cut the lid off completely, the safest thing is to tuck it inside the can, and to gently pinch the can's opening to trap the lid inside. Then, put the can into your blue bin for collection.

Categories: Cans_, Recycling_

Glass: no Corningware, please

This offer was posted to a local Freecycle list:

I broke my favorite large Corningware casserole dish, but the glass lid survived. If you need one, it's here until next glass recycling day.

Thanks to this person for thinking that glass = recycling! The only thing is that if this lid doesn't find a Taker, it should be disposed of as trash rather than a "blue bin recyclable."

In Montgomery County, our curbside recycling program accepts only glass bottles and jars.

What's wrong with that lid? The heat-resistant properties which make it so convenient for baking cause problems when the lid is mixed in with the "regular" bottle and jar glass.

Categories: Glass_, Recycling_

It's just a trash can - Part II

The trash can from yesterday's entry was filled with leftovers from a construction project. The bag on top of the can's contents was a sack of cement.

Our weight limit for trash cans is 45 pounds. This one tipped the scales at 150 pounds. As a result, it was tagged with an orange sticker, and the crew left it behind.

What were the can owner's options at this point? The can's contents could have been self-hauled to the Shady Grove Transfer Station for disposal. Or, the material could have been set out for collection the following week, repackaged in smaller containers weighing up to 45 pounds each.

Categories: Seen at the curb_, Trash_

It's just a trash can, right?

Returning to our "What's wrong with this picture?" series... what's the matter with this trash can? Why could its contents not be collected on the day the can was set out at the curb?

Stay tuned... answer to come!

Categories: Seen at the curb_, Trash_

What do you do with sandbox sand?

From our (e)mail bag:

We put out two containers of old sandbox sand this week but the trucks did not take them because they weighed over 45 pounds each.

The key to the answer is in the container weight. In Montgomery County, we ask that cans, containers, and bags weigh 45 pounds or less. This rule helps protect the backs of your collection crews.

In the situation here, repackage the sand into smaller amounts, and the containers should be whisked away with your next trash collection. Or, you may self-haul the sand directly to the Shady Grove Transfer Station. The Transfer Station does not have per-container weight limits. But, watch for the health of your back as you load and unload your vehicle!

Trash?! Yes, sand is disposed of as trash. Our yard trim collections are limited to grass, leaves, and brush.

What else can you do with "waste" sand? Consider putting it back into service in another way. One suggestion: mix it with compost and soil as you build a rain garden in your yard. More information about rain gardens.

Build or repair your home... from trash

Last Saturday, we attended the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission's "Going Green at Home" Fair. We were delighted to share exhibit space with The Loading Dock, a non-profit building material recycler. The Loading Dock accepts the materials we receive in our "Don't Dump. Donate" program, located at the Shady Grove Transfer Station. Those building materials are then resold at The Loading Dock's Baltimore warehouse at a fraction of the retail price, saving customers money and keeping those items out of the waste stream.

We now have another option for buying reusable building supplies -- right in the middle of Montgomery County. The Habitat for Humanity Restore is open in Gaithersburg, and is also well on its way to finding new homes for new and used building materials.

Newsletter Helper: Tips for recycling during the summer

Beverage cans and bottles, plastic ice-cream containers, plastic strawberry and blueberry baskets, fencing, paint... all items we tend to generate for disposal over the summer months. What's recyclable and what's not? Find out in the May 2006 Newsletter Helper!

What other summer recyclables are puzzlers for you? Let us know, and look for answers in future posts...

International Compost Awareness Week

Next week, May 7 to 13, is International Compost Awareness Week. How to celebrate this? If you don't already have a compost pile in your yard, consider starting one. Montgomery County offers free compost bins at several locations around the County. 

Sunday, April 16, 2006: Beauty Spots Closed

Beauty Spots:

• Saturday, April 15, 2006: Normal Saturday hours at both Beauty Spots.
• Sunday, April 16, 2006: Both the Damascus and Poolesville Beauty Spots will be closed for the Easter holiday.

Shady Grove Transfer Station: It's business as usual at the on these dates -- there are no changes to operating hours.

Earth Day Celebration: April 22, 2006

Celebrate Earth Day with us on April 22, 2006. Seize the rare opportunity to tour the Recycling Center on a Saturday! Enjoy exhibits on recycling, waste reduction, and buying recycled... and more. For information: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/solidwaste

Saturday, April 22, 2006
11:00 am to 3:00 pm, rain or shine!
850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland
(in the parking lot in front of Montgomery County Public Schools Headquarters)

National Poison Prevention Week

This week is National Poison Prevention Week. More than 90% of the poisonings reported to Poison Control Centers each year happen in homes, says poisonprevention.org.

While bringing fewer hazardous products into your home, and using products with lower toxicity are two lines of defense, what can you do with the products you already have? The US EPA has online resources for locking up hazardous products. When you are ready to dispose of products you no longer need or want, remember our Household Hazardous Waste collections. We offer this service to County residents at no charge.

Got hazardous products from a business? Check out our ECOWISE program for small-quantity generators.

Cell phones: free mailing label for recycling

A number of local retailers accept cell phones for recycling. And, our County Sheriff's office and Victim Services' program reuse cell phones. These options beat putting those obsolete or no-longer-functioning phones into the trash.

Still, in order to participate, you have to remember to pack up the phone and charger, and take them to their destination. After one too many encounters with my toddler, I myself have a broken phone in my possession. The problem is that I only remember to take this phone to the drop-off point as I am driving past it. And when this happens, the phone is several miles away, tucked away on a shelf at home.

My excuses have just disappeared! I learned that you can print out a mailing label (postage-paid!), affix it to an envelope, tuck the phone inside, and drop it into a mailbox to send it on its way. What could be easier?!

Spring 2006 BTS Course is full

Wow! We still have almost six weeks to go until the Spring 2006 Behind the Scenes course begins, but so many of you have already registered that the course is full. We'll spend seven meetings and a field trip talking about... trash and recycling. I'm looking forward to it -- even though I've coordinated this program for many years, I learn new things each time.

Didn't make it into the course? Fear not! You are welcome to join the group for the April 22 field trip to the County's solid waste facilities in Dickerson, MD. (Yes, that's Earth Day. No, that was not planned, but it's a fitting coincidence.) We'll visit the Resource Recovery Facility (our waste-to-energy plant) and the Yard Trim Composting Facility. Please preregister for the trip. That lets me know how many groups we'll need to split into for our RRF tour. It also lets me know how many lunch fixin's we'll need -- we don't want any growling tummies or sagging energy due to hunger in the afternoon!

Plastics recycling: are dirty curbside finds recyclable?

Received in the mail:

As I walk through my neighborhood I sometimes take along a bag and collect trash bottles from the curbside. Some of these are awfully dirty, some even still have the caps on and are so dirty I avoid removing them. Is it OK to recycle these, regardless of their condition?

Thank you for your commitment to recycling, and for taking a bag along with you on your outings! (So often, I first remember the bag when I spot the litter, at which point it is, of course, too late. And, you can only carry so much in your hands...)

I put your question to our Recycling Center manager. He says that clean bottles are always preferable. Nonetheless, he would accept your "curbside finds" as-is, without any washing.

Before tossing the bottles into your blue bin for collection, please remove the lids. Why? The lids are most often made from a different plastic resin and through different molding processes than the bottles themselves. As a result, the lids would be "contaminants" in a bale of bottle plastic. So, please put those lids into the trash.

If this post inspires you to do more, consider learning more about Montgomery County's beautification and clean-up programs, including Adopt-A-Road and the Keep Montgomery County Beautiful task force.

Newsletter Helper: Disposal of Large Tree Branches

Ay! What if those March winds and April showers bring you lots of downed branches instead of (or, in addition to) May flowers? Our February 2006 Newsletter Helper offers some solutions. We'll be happy to take bagged or bundled pieces up to 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter right from your curb. (Please limit those bundles to 45 pounds.) Larger pieces are accepted at the Shady Grove Tranfer Station.

Why the size and weight limit and that bundling requirement for curbside collections? Collection crews toss those bundles into their trucks by hand. And, they serve several hundred homes on a given route. Bags and bundles are much more efficient to load than the loose branches would be. And, the weight limit helps to protect the crews' backs.

Presidents' Day - Feb. 20: normal schedule

Monday, February 20, 2006 ~ Presidents' Day ~ is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule. If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

Feb. 13, 2006: Normal collections

We are on our normal recycling and trash collection schedule for today, with no delays due to this weekend's snow.

Please remember to have your items out at the curb for collection by 7 a.m. And, where there are snow banks and parked cars, please place your bins and cans so that crews can see them easily from the street.

Feb. 12, 2006: Snow Closings

The Shady Grove Transfer Station is closed today.

The Damascus and Poolesville Beauty Spots are closed also, as our Highway Maintenance colleagues focus all of their attention on today's snow removal effort.

Bikes: Spring/Summer 2006 collection events

The materials we receive via our scrap metal collection program sometimes includes bicycles in usable or reparable condition. Our collaboration with Bikes for the World, a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicycle Assocation, puts those reusable bikes back into service.

Bikes for the World has just announced its Spring/Summer 2006 collection schedule. Four local retailers also serve as drop-off points.

We continue to accept bicycles at the Shady Grove Transfer Station, and encourage you to use the BfW collection event/location closest to you.

Delve "Behind the Scenes" with us!

What better New Year resolution than to learn more about... waste!? Our "Behind the Scenes" course stands ready to assist. :-)

Where do your recyclables and trash go after the trucks rumble through your neighborhood collecting them? Journey with the Division of Solid Waste Services' award-winning "Behind the Scenes" course, and see for yourself! "I never knew I could learn such interesting things about trash!" say course participants. Of course, we'll spend lots of time talking about recycling, too.

The Spring 2006 course will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at the Shady Grove Transfer Station, April 5 through May 17. The course is free; pre-registration is required.

Details and online registration

"Thinking Inside the Compost Bin"

In today's Washington Post, Adrian Higgins encourages us to "think inside the composting bin". His article on composting outlines some of the basics of choosing and using different bin styles.

Montgomery County offers a wealth of composting and gardening information on its website, ideal reading on these chilly winter days when your thoughts turn to Spring.

Want a bin or two to get you started? Montgomery County has free compost bins for its residents and businesses.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day - Jan. 16: normal schedule

Monday, January 16, 2006 ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
~ is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule. If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

Dickerson Area Facilities Implementation Group - two vacancies

Live in the Upcounty area? Want a voice in how we operate? The Dickerson Area Facilities Implementation Group for residents of the affected Upcounty community has two vacancies. The purpose of this group is to address community and environmental issues and concerns pertaining to the County's solid waste facilities located in the Dickerson area.

Additional information about the Dickerson Area Facilities Implementation Group

New Year's Day, January 1, 2006: normal collections

Because New Year's Day (January 1, 2006) falls on a Sunday, County-provided recycling and trash collections will be on their normal days. The collection schedule will not change during this holiday week.

Full holiday announcement

It's a wrap: recycle your gifts' paper

After all of your packages are unwrapped, what to do with the package trimmings?

Regular wrapping paper and tissue paper (for example, what you might use to wrap a shirt before placing it lovingly into a gift box) may go into your blue paper recycling cart.

Things which should go out as trash [if you cannot reuse them :-) ] include:

• foil-stamped paper and gift bags


• plastic-coated paper and gift bags


• plastic films


• ribbons and bows

Christmas Day, December 25, 2005: normal collections

Because Christmas Day (December 25, 2005) and New Year's Day (January 1, 2006) fall on Sundays, County-provided recycling and trash collections will be on their normal days. The collection schedule will not change during these two holiday weeks.

Full holiday announcement

Damascus Beauty Spot closed December 17 + 18, 2005

After the roads are sanded and salted… the supplies need to be restocked.

For this reason, the Damascus Beauty Spot (located at a Highway Maintenance Depot) will be closed this weekend, December 17 and 18, 2005 -- new loads of salt will be coming in.

The Poolesville Beauty Spot will be open for its normal weekend hours.

More information about our facilities and their hours

Friday, December 9, 2005: normal collection

Montgomery County-provided recycling and trash collections are on their normal schedule today. There are no pickup changes due to today's snow.

Tuesday, December 6, 2005: normal collections

Montgomery County-provided recycling and trash collections are on their normal schedule today. There are no pickup delays or other changes due to last night's snow.

Recycling Co-op for small businesses in Silver Spring

Under an arrangement put in place by the County, six Silver Spring businesses will share the costs of hiring a private recycling contractor, allowing the businesses to save money and recycle more. By combining their refuse collection services and adding recycling to their service, it is estimated that each business will save between $38 and $227 a month.

The County will be monitoring the success of the program and already has plans to form additional recycling cooperatives in Wheaton and Bethesda.

Details in news release

Web shortcut: Use It Again

Our "Use It Again" guide has a brand-new address in cyberspace: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/useitagain.

Isn't that easier to remember than:
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/dpwt/solidwaste/useitagain/index.asp? :-)

Thanksgiving Day holiday

Thursday, November 24, 2005 ~ Thanksgiving Day ~ is a recycling and trash holiday. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be one day later than normal.

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact
our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

Thursday, 11/24/05, Happy Thanksgiving to you! No collections.
Friday, 11/25/05, Thursday's pick-ups
Saturday, 11/26/04, Friday's pick-ups

Shady Grove Transfer Station:
closed: Thursday, November 24, 2005.
reopens with normal hours: November 25, 2005.

Damascus and Poolesville Beauty Spot:
open normal hours: November 26 and 27, 2005.

Nov. 11, 2005, Veterans Day: normal schedule

Friday, November 11, 2005 ~ Veterans Day ~ is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule.

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

Composting and Resource Recovery Facility win awards!

Our Resource Recovery Facility received the Solid Waste Association of North America's 2005 Gold Excellence Award in the Waste-to-Energy Division.

Our Composting Facility received a 2005 Silver Excellence Award in the Waste Reduction, Recycling and Composting Division.

This awards program recognizes technically and economically-sound municipal solid waste management programs that are protective of public health and the environment.

Damascus Beauty Spot closed Oct. 29-30

The Damascus Beauty Spot will be closed this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, 2005.

The Poolesville Beauty Spot will be OPEN for its normal weekend hours.

Announcing... the new Use It Again Guide

Our printed "Use It Again" guide to reuse, repair, and rental opportunities in Montgomery County has been popular since its very first printing.

About 4 years ago, we had a tech-savvy high school student intern who coded an online version of Use It Again for us. When you have a resource you love, and use it often, your wishes for it start to grow... and grow...

So, we revamped the online Use It Again from the ground up, building in a number of new features for both the end-user and the administrative side. Please enjoy the new version, launched this afternoon, and let us know what you think.

Lids: why not plastic?

What's the matter with putting plastic lids into our recycling bins?

Reasons why we cannot accept plastic lids include these:

• These lids and caps are made from a different molding process than the plastic bottles and jars which we do accept.
• The lids and caps are often "sandwiches" of several plastic resins. For example, the lid itself might be one resin, and contain a thin liner made from another resin. We need to be able to sort items into categories of a single resin.
  

Can I recycle lids?

Last week, I received a phone message from a resident:

I'm confused about recycling! Your website has some information about lids, but I still have questions!

I have updated our "how to" webpages with additional details about caps and lids from plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars, and metal cans. In short, we cannot accept any plastic lids or caps; we do take metal lids.

TRRAC: Property Manager's Guide

Our "Property Manager's Guide to Recycling" is now online. This handbook is published by TRRAC, our recycling program for apartments and condominiums. Whether developing a new recycling program or maintaining an existing one, this publication is a comprehensive resource for property managers.

Oct. 10, 2005: Columbus Day holiday - normal schedule

Monday, October 10, 2005 ~ 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 you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.

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

Newsletter Helper: Apples, nuts, and other fall "yard trim"

Oops! The August 2005 Newsletter Helper slipped past this blog without a mention! With the official change of seasons last week, the topic is as timely as ever.

Here's the teaser: "Autumn brings with it falling leaves… as well as falling acorns, other nuts, and unwanted fruits such as apples. How do you get rid of those? Set them out with your yard trim for recycling collection!"

Yard Trim Labels: PYO

At the local orchards, "PYO" at this time of year means Pick Your Own delicious, juicy, crunchy apples. [for some apple picking of your own, try the Montgomery County Farm Directory.

Our lastest PYO is Print Your Own...

For more efficiency, I would like to suggest you post the "yard trim" label as a PDF. By the time I get to the library, I always forget to get the labels. But I'd print it out after I read your newsletter and use it.

We received this suggestion in our Electonic Mailbag. So, E., this one's for you! We (usually) have labels at the libraries, and we are happy to send some to you through the mail. Still, if you need a label right away, it's now just a click away, delivered to your printer.

Newsletter Helper: Show us the green (labels)!

The September 2005 Newsletter Helper from the Division of Solid Waste Services is now available. This month's feature is "Yard Trim Labels: Show us the green!" Letting your collection crew see green helps you avoid seeing red because of missed yard trim collections. Montgomery County’s green yard trim labels are signals to crews, helping them easily spot the cans of leaves, grass, and brush you may have set out for pickup.

Our label was redesigned over the summer. The new format is a green circle, 7" in diameter. If you've been plagued by peeling labels in the past (I was) , give these a try. We used a different label material, and this one should stick more effectively (and I'm "field-testing" one myself).

Sept. 5, 2005: Labor Day holiday - modified schedule

Monday, September 5, 2005 ~ Labor Day ~ is a recycling and trash holiday. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be one day later than normal. If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff at recycle@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-6410.

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

The Damascus and Poolesville Beauty Spots will be open on September 3 and 4, 2005. The Shady Grove Transfer Station will be closed on Monday, September 5, 2005.

Full holiday announcement

Nonresidential Recycling: Have you filed your plan?

We recently sent letters to all Montgomery County businesses. Under our new regulations, all businesses must file a Business Recycling and Waste Reduction Plan. Therefore, this mailing included: copies of new Montgomery County Executive Regulations 15-04AM and 18-04, the Business Recycling and Waste Reduction Plan form (PDF form, Word form), a brochure and instructions.

Filing Deadlines:

* Large and medium-sized businesses (100 or more employees) due no later than August 15, 2005
* Small-sized businesses (fewer than 100 employees) due no later than September 15, 2005
* Property owners/managers filing for multi-tenant facilities due no later than August 15, 2005

Plans must be postmarked by your respective due date and mailed to:

Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services
ATTN: SORRT-Business Recycling Plan
101 Monroe Street, 6th Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Failure to comply with these requirements is a Class B violation of Montgomery County Code. Violators are subject to fines of $100.00 for the initial violation and $150.00 per subsequent violations, levied each day the violation exists.

If you have any questions regarding the Plan or the regulations, please contact the SORRT Program by email at recycle@montgomerycountymd.gov or call (240) 777-6400.

Use It Again: update

The St. Rose of Lima Furniture Program offers at-home collections in the Upcounty area (greater Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown). One of our website visitors let me know that the correct phone number for this program is 301-482-2947. I have updated our listing in the online "Use It Again" guide. Thank you for helping to keep the "Use It Again" guide accurate.

Use It Again: addition

Have you tried our "Use It Again" guide to repair, rental, and reuse opportunities? One of its popular categories is at-home pickups of furniture and other items. Conveniently enough, among the most recent Use It Again additions are... organizations which offer such pickups!

A Wider Circle is dedicated to creating change from the inside out. Their programs address the inner and outer needs of adults and children challenged by homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, and other health and social issues.

Getting Them Sober provides information and support to families dealing with a member's addition to alcohol.

Get details about these and other organizations offering at-home pickups

What's wrong with this picture? - Part V

About Quiz Entry #4:
This heap was set out for regular, weekly household trash collection. The desk on the left of the pile is sporting the fluorescent orange "rejection tag." Why?

The size and quantity of the material is just a bit more than what's expected for a regular weekly set-out. The resident should have requested a bulk trash collection. (Folks with County-provided trash service may request up to 5 bulk collections per year.) Bulk collections are made on your normal trash day.

Among the reasons why we ask you to request bulk service in advance:
- the crew then knows to expect a larger volume of material
- the crew is provided with a list of exactly what you want to have taken away (that helps prevent unpleasant surprises when the workers are uncertain about what they should take for disposal or not).

Another problem with the pile in this picture is that scrap metal and trash items are all jumbled together. Scrap metal and trash are collected by two different crews. These workers are not able to seperate out the materials for you. A jumbled pile would be another reason for leaving a rejection tag and not collecting the material.

Quiz Entry #5:

What's wrong with this picture? - Part IV

About Quiz Entry #3:
That washing machine is a fine-looking piece of... scrap metal. It's out there at the curb next to the trash, with the blue bin tucked into the far right of the photo. The thing is that while trash, yard trim, and blue bin pickups are made weekly, scrap metal collections are not automatic. Those pickups are made by request, and by a separate truck. There is no fee for the service, which is provided on your recycling day; we ask only that you ask for it at least one day before your recycling day. Putting in that request is as simple as completing our online form, or calling our Customer Service staff at 240-777-6410. Then, all you need to do is to get the washer (or whatever your scrap metal items are for that request) out to the curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling day.

Quiz Entry #4:

Shipping pallets: Free for the taking

Shipping pallets are all you’ll need to build a large, wonderful, and effective compost bin.

To learn more about building a compost bin from pallets, see the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection's publication Composting With Pallets [pdf] or its Composting Homepage.

Update: Sorry, we no longer have pallets available. But, you may often find pallets by speaking to folks staffing loading docks.

Paper recycling: staples?

Whether it's a reminder of an upcoming holiday, or an weather-related collection service alert, I always receive replies from our subscribers when I send a notice to our "Holiday Reminder List" (or any of our other lists, for that matter). The Division's email lists have created this additional line of communication, and I am delighted when subscribers use it to ask questions or share comments or concerns which have been on their mind. Keep 'em coming! From my Independence Day Reminder Notice "Mailbag":

What is the proper way to recycle magazines and catalogs with and without staples?

Staples are not a problem for our paper recycling program. So, you do not need to worry about removing them.

Please recycle your magazines and catalogs right along with your other paper -- newspaper, newspaper inserts, unwanted mail, cereal and other boxes, and the like.

If you live in a single-family home and recently received one of the County's new paper recycling carts, you may simply toss all of your paper and cardboard in there.

If you do not have a cart, just bundle your paper with twine. Or, place it into a paper bag or small cardboard box. Then, set the bundles on top of or next to your blue bin on your recycling day.

What's wrong with this picture? - Part III

About Quiz Entry #2:
We do not accept yard trimmings in plastic bags. In fact, plastic bags are the most significant "contaminant" at our Composting Facility, where leaves and grass are turned into a product marketed as Leafgro. As the leaves and grass are processed, plastic bags are chopped into ever-smaller pieces. These pieces blow around the facility, littering the grounds, getting stuck in fences, and finding their way back into Leafgro that has already been screened in final preparation for bagging or bulk sale. Those pieces must then be collected by hand, a tedious and costly undertaking.

Leaves and grass should be set at the curb in reusable containers (such as trash cans with a "Yard Trim" decal on them -- write to us or call 240-777-6410 to have decals sent to you), or in paper yard trim bags. The paper yard trim bags break down along with the material in them, becoming part of the finished compost!

Quiz Entry #3:

July 4, 2005: Independence Day Holiday

Monday, July 4, 2005 ~ Independence Day ~ is a recycling and trash holiday. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be one day later than normal. If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff at recycle@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-6410.

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

The Damascus and Poolesville Beauty Spots will be open on July 2 and 3, 2005. The Shady Grove Transfer Station will be closed on Monday, July 4, 2005.

Full holiday announcement

What's wrong with this picture? - Part II

In Part I, we had a paper recycling cart with a tag on it: the most common reason for this is that someone is so pleased with the cart's large capacity that he or she fills it with... trash. Because the carts are for paper only, this creates a problem. First, the wrong material is inside. Second, a full cart is heavy, and it is only the recycling trucks which are equipped with cart lifts. So, not only is the wrong material inside, but getting it out could be a challenge.

Today's "quiz entry":

What's wrong with this picture? - Part I

Most of the time, all goes well at the curb on collection day: you set your items out in the morning, and by day's end, the trucks have come by, leaving you with emptied containers ready for the next week's accumulation.

However, sometimes, to-be-collected items are left behind by the crew. You find these things sporting "day-glo" orange stickers. Our next series of entries will take a visual tour of "tagged" items.

Tags are supposed to be filled out with an explanation of what went wrong with preparation of the offending item. If you have questions about why something was tagged, let us know by email or by calling 240-777-6410

Hazardous Waste: new collection dates

The following two Household Hazardous Waste collection events have been announced. Both sites will operate from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 8, 2005, SILVER SPRING
Silver Spring International Middle School
313 Wayne Avenue (Dale Dr. & Wayne Ave.)

Saturday, November 12, 2005, BETHESDA
Westland Middle School
5511 Massachusetts Avenue, Bethesda MD 20816
(west of Little Falls Parkway)

Reminder: the Shady Grove Transfer Station now has a permanent HHW receiving area, open year-round: Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Newsletter Helper: Dangerous Disposal

The June 2005 Newsletter Helper from the Division of Solid Waste Services is now available. This month's featured topic is "Disposal Dangers." Most of the trash received by the Division of Solid Waste Services is run-of-the-mill material. But sometimes, dangerous surprises lurk within.

Examples of dangerous materials to keep out of the trash include: mercury and mercury-containing products like thermometers and thermostats, swimming pool chemicals, car fluids, fuel, herbicides and pesticides, paint thinners and solvents, and syringe needles.

Business Recycling: newly updated Handbook

Our comprehensive Business Recycling Regulation Handbook has just been updated! Be one of the first to read or download this new edition.

The Handbook is also available in Chinese and Spanish.

Congratulations, Great Recyclers!

During our recent Recycling Awareness Week, we gave awards for "Excellence in Recycling" and Outstanding Achievement in Recycling". Receipients included businesses and organizations, apartment and condominium properties, and single-family residents. Congratulations to all!

Zip to Hazardous Waste information

This week, it got easier to get to the hazardous waste program information on our website. Simply use this shortcut: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hazardouswaste.

That will zip you on over to details about our Household Hazardous Waste collections, our Ecowise program for businesses that are small-quantity generators, and our "Clean Ways to do Dirty Jobs" poster.

Have some trash with your comics

This week, Washington Post columnist John Kelly examines trash and recycling. He writes:

It all has to go somewhere. And that is the crux of the issue: Because matter cannot be created nor destroyed, where does it all go? That's the question I'll be trying to answer all this week.

Travel along with him as he hits the streets to address this question. In the weekday print version of the Washington Post, John's column is found in the Comics section.

Memorial Day Holiday -- no County collections on May 30

Monday, May 30, 2005 ~ Memorial Day ~ is a recycling and trash holiday. There are no County-provided recycling or trash collections that day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections that week will be one day later than normal.

Memorial Day Holiday -- facility schedules

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Beauty Spots and Transfer Station will have the following schedules:

DAMASCUS and POOLESVILLE BEAUTY SPOTS

• Saturday, May 28, 2005: normal hours


• open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.


• Sunday, May 29, 2005: closed

SHADY GROVE TRANSFER STATION

• Sat & Sun, May 28 & 29, 2005: normal weekend hours




• Car Entrance:




• Saturday: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm


• Sunday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm




• Truck Entrance:




• Saturday: 7:00 am - 5:00 pm






• Monday, May 30, 2005: closed

All good things come to an end

The Spring 2005 session of our Behind the Scenes course ended last night. We met for 6 consecutive 2-hour Wednesday evening classes. We also took a Saturday field trip to tour two of the more outlying facilities.

Despite so many hours together, we still parted ways with questions left unexplored! One participant remarked, "I surprised me to learn that I could learn such interesting things about trash!"

In the coming weeks, I'll use some of those questions as fodder for blog entries. And, if you have burning questions of your own about recycling and solid waste, click on the link below to tell me about them. Better yet, see you in class the next time it's offered!

Blue Bins: Where's my new one?

New and replacement recycling bins are delivered to you by our field staff and our dedicated "blue bin delivery guy." These deliveries are not made by your recycling collection crews. So, they may coincidentally be made on your recycling day, but more often than not, the your bin will arrive on another day.

Newsletter Helper: Plastic recycling

We just posted our "Newsletter Helper" for May. This month's featured topic is plastic recycling. Montgomery County accepts all plastic bottles with necks. Many people mistakenly think we are still limited to certain resin numbers. The color of the bottle, and the resin number stamped on it in the "recycling triangle" don't matter. Newsletter Helper content is intended for convenient reuse in your own community publications. Sample some issues for yourself!

Recycling Center wins award

The Montgomery County Recycling Center has won the Solid Waste Processing Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2005 Facility Recognition Award in the Material Recovery Category.

Award criteria included the facility’s success in reaching its goals; innovative and technical contributions to solid waste processing; facility economics; environmental performance and safety; and, the facility’s role in integrated waste management. ASME’s award recognizes the Recycling Center’s contribution to the field of solid waste processing. We will receive the award on May 23, 2005.

Scrap Metal: Give bikes a new purpose in life

Collecting bikes for the scrap metal value beats putting them into the trash. Putting them back into service as a means of transportation is even better.

Bikes for the World, a sponsored project of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, offers collection events and drop-off sites all over our area. This program then delivers bicycles and spare parts to selected non-profits overseas, where the bikes provide affordable transportation to workers, students, farmers, and small businesspeople.

Scrap metal: Is it on the list?

Is the bike supposed to be picked up as scrap metal... or not?

Is that bike part of the requested collection, or did Junior forget it on the lawn?

We recently started asking you to provide an itemized list when you request a scrap metal collection (or a bulk trash collection). This does require a little more work up-front.

The benefits of this list can be invaluable. When collection crews arrive for a pick up, it is not always clear what they are to take with them. Under our improved procedure, the collection crew has your list in hand when they come to your home. And, they have instructions to pick up only what is on that list. This helps them check off to make sure they take everything you wanted them to take, and to leave the rest behind.

Blue Carts: Hold the bin

What to do with a now-surplus recycling bin?

Back in the day, you requested a second blue bin from us to hold your paper bundles. With that paper now going into your wheeled blue cart, your second bin may no longer be needed.

We are happy to take the bin back. Just call us (240-777-6410) or write to us to let us know. (Please remember to give us your address.) Then, leave the bin outside your house in a place where our Bin Picker-Upper will see it when he comes.

Blue Carts: More on handles

Once your wheeled paper recycling cart has been emptied, the direction of the handle does matter.

After they have serviced the cart to remove the paper inside it, collection crews are asked to put the cart back at the curb with the handle facing the street. This signal lets their supervisor and Division of Solid Waste Services' field staff know that the cart is now empty.

Blue Carts: Handle in or handle out?

Does it matter how you set your wheeled cart at the curb?

Simply put: no, but thanks for asking!

Whether you set your cart at the curb with the handle facing the street, the handle facing your house, or even sideways ~ the cart orientation doesn't matter for our crews. Ours is a semi-automated system: the carts are manually wheeled to the truck, and then a lift on the truck tips the cart contents into the truck. The cart is then wheeled back to the curb.

If the lifting were fully automated, then the placement would be very important: the lift bar on the front of the carts has to face the street so that the lift arm can hook onto it.

Blue Carts: Why so blue?

The wheeled carts are blue. Very blue. Eye-catchingly blue. Extremely blue, for some of you. Couldn't we have picked a more subtle color?!

The choice of blue for the carts is in keeping with the color widely associated with recycling of cans, bottles, jars, and paper. The color is as much a signal for collection crews of what is inside as it is to container users.

The darker colors -- brown, green, and black -- are typically used for trash cans. When used as a signal for collection purposes, green may indicate yard trim. Similarly, brown may be associated with organics collection.

These signals make collections more efficient. Instead of having to stop to peer into every single can at the curb, crews are able to focus only on the containers set out for the material for which they are responsible. The recycling crew is on the lookout for blue carts. Trash crews, on the other hand, know to pass those carts by.

One cart recipient carefully painted the cart green. It was a good paint job. It was so good, in fact, that the recycling crew would have passed it by, leaving the household to wonder why its paper was not collected that week. The unsuspecting recycling crew, on the other hand, would have thought nothing of leaving the paper-cart-posing-as-a-trash-can unemptied.

Blue Carts: Mechanically lifted

Paper cart lift on recycling truck

Because wheeled carts full of paper can so heavy (over 200 pounds!), some residents have been worried the safety of their collection crew's backs.

The actual dumping of the carts' contents is done by lifts. The crew puts the cart in to position, hooks on the lift, and then the lift tips the cart into the hopper.

Hold the confetti!

We're excited about paper recycling, though we hold the line on celebrating with confetti. That's what shredded paper has a tendency to become when it is set out for recycling...

With April 15th's tax filing now behind us, it's a good time to revisit the issue of document security and disposal. To help thwart identity thieves and others interested in your personal facts and figures, many people shred papers before setting them out for recycling. (In my household, paper in our wheeled paper recycling cart often resembles Swiss cheese after we get done snipping out address labels here and names and numbers there! We regularly compost our shreds as well -- there's no better document destruction system than a bunch of worms and their pals, and our garden reaps the benefits of their final product.)

If you have a wheeled paper recycling cart, just dump your shredded paper into it -- no additional packaging is required!

If you continue to set out your to-be-recycled paper in bundles, please put your shredded paper into a small paper bag or cardboard box. That helps prevent it from blowing around in your neighborhood as it awaits collection... and avoids creating confetti on your street.

With paint, please litter!

... with cat litter.

It is extremely expensive for us to dispose of latex paint in our Household Hazardous Waste Program. In fact, latex paint is not hazardous. Our recommendation is to "use it up, pass it on, or dry it out". Once dry, you can put cans into your regular household trash.

Cat litter is a very effective and inexpensive way to dry up paint. Mulch and shredded paper work as well. And, Waste Paint Hardener, available at McCormick Paints stores and most area hardware stores is another option.

Latex paint is the featured topic in this month's Newsletter Helper. You are welcome to use this text in your own community publications.

Duct tape only goes so far

We've seen just about every kind of blue bin repair there is. Duct tape can be used very creatively to cobble a bin back together. There comes a time, however, when it's simply time to request a replacement.

Replacement recycling bins for single-family homes and townhouses are available at no charge, and we even deliver them to your door. Order online, or call our Customer Service staff at 240-777-6410.

Let us know to pickup your old, broken bin. We'll whisk it away when we bring the new one. The broken bins are recycled.

Dream Design for Calendar

We're drafting ideas for new information pieces, which we want to make as user-friendly as possible...

What features do you wish for in a calendar? For example, one of my mother's Calendar Choosing Criteria is the largest possible squares for each day. Her life is rich in scheduled commitments, and she wants to make sure she's got enough space to write them all down without needing to cram them in. So, for Mom, we're maximizing those squares as best we can!

What calendar features make your life easier? Let us know!

Mulch it up!

Come early, come often... and bring a shovel or pitchfork with you. Our Neighborhood Mulch Preserves stock coarse mulch, available to you for free. This mulch is good for covering paths and similar areas.

Because the mulch is "green," or fresh and uncured, it is not suitable for use around your prized petunias (or other similar plants). The material is carbon-rich. As it decomposes, it creates a nitrogen demand. When that demand competes with the nitrogen needs of your plants, well, the plants tend to lose the battle. If you have the space in your yard to let the mulch age for a few months, this issue is eliminated.

Celebrate Earth Day with us!

Join us in celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. In addition to displays, activities, and entertainment here, we'll be running buses to the Recycling Center. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to see the Recycling Center on a weekend day! This Earth Day event will also feature two rain barrel workshops.

Blue Roadblock

You've had a long day at work. Traffic on the street where you live is heavy. It's raining, and it's dark. Your driveway is blocked. Again. Your blue bin is sitting squarely in your car's path...

Can't they get it right?! That bin was set neatly at the side of the driveway when you left this morning...

Having to move an errant bin out of the way isn't our idea of a pleasant return home either. The policy is that bins must be returned to the "point of collection" after the collection crew empties them. In other words, you should find it in the same place where you left it in the morning.

If the "point of collection" policy doesn't ring true at your address, tell us. Our staff will then work with the collection company serving your neighborhood. They'll also keep a special watch on your bin for a few weeks.