How may I replace my cracked or broken recycling bin?

The photo in my last blog post had a badly cracked recycling bin in the foreground. If you have one in similar condition, how do you get a replacement bin?

You may order a new bin at no charge through our "web store", or by calling our Customer Service staff at 240-777-6410.

If you'd like us to take your broken bin when we deliver your new bin, just let us know during the ordering process. We send the broken bins we pick up to a recycler.

The bin deliveries and pickups are made by our staff, not the recycling collection crews. Therefore, while your new bin may arrive on your recycling day, it is possible that it will happen on another day.

Why are trash can lids replaced upside down?

We invite residents to share their comments via a survey about our recycling and trash collection service to them.

One recent survey respondent wrote:

Do not like that the can tops are "stuffed" inside -- but I guess that takes less time that putting them back on. Perhaps the crews should just leave the tops flat on the ground rather than stuffing them inside.

After collection, crews are not supposed to jam lids down into your containers. They are, however, supposed to place the lids back upside down.

Why upside down?

When crews replace the lids upside down, this signals their supervisors that the containers have been emptied. This way, the supervisors don't need to stop at a container, lift the lid, and check inside, which would be very inefficient, given that daily routes cover several hundred addresses, and many more containers.

Similarly, emptied wheeled paper carts are replaced with their handles facing the street, and recycling bins are replaced upside down after being serviced.

And regarding that badly cracked recycling bin in the photo and what to do about it, that's the topic of my next post!

It's National Poison Prevention Week

This week -- from March 15 to March 21, 2009 -- is National Poison Prevention Week.

Did you know these facts about poisons?

• Most poisonings involve everyday household items such as medicines, cleaning supplies, cosmetics and personal care items.
• 93 percent of all poison exposures occur in the home.
• 51 percent of poison exposures occur in children under the age of six.
• Over 70 percent of all poison fatalities occur in adults ages 20 to 59.

Where should you turn for help? The National Capital Poison Center serves our area. Have a poison emergency? Call 1-800-222-1222 immediately for help at no charge!

Some resources for poison prevention information:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (with podcasts)
• Poison Help (even includes a poison jingle ringtone for your phone!)
• US Environmental Protection Agency

If you find no-longer-needed or wanted poisons in your home, garage or garden, bring them to our Hazardous Waste program. Prevention is better than the cure!

May I put this plastic tub in my recycling bin?

A friend brought me this warehouse-store-sized plastic tub, made from plastic resin #1. She knew it wasn’t recyclable in our Montgomery County program, but hoped that maybe I’d have a (re)use for it.

I tried, but a few weeks later, it was still gracing the same spot in my office, untouched. Before I tossed it out, though, I had one more thing to do: photograph it for our plastics do’s and don’t gallery.

We do accept plastic containers, tubs and lids pails and buckets; we can’t take non-bottle items made from resins #1 (polyethylene terephthalate) -- like this tub and lid -- or #6 (polystyrene and Styrofoam™ products).

Are you unsure about whether to toss a plastic item into your recycling bin or trash can? Write to us with a description, and we'll share the answers here.

Transfer Station closed @ 5 p.m. today - March 2, 2009

Our Solid Waste Transfer Station closed at 5 p.m. today, due to icy conditions.

It's snowing! - Normal recycling / trash schedule today

What a start to the month of March, which is roaring in like a lion!  Snow is contining to fall as I write this.

If today is your recycling and trash collection day, please have your items out at the curb.  We are aiming for our normal recycling and trash collection schedule. 

Please have your items visible from the street and at the curb, so that they are not hidden by snow banks or parked cars.

Trucks may begin their rounds with a delay. If a hill or street is not passable, the crew will make another attempt later in the day or tomorrow.

How do we dispose of spray paint - latex & oil based?

From our mailbag:

How do we dispose of spray paint - latex & oil based?

Thanks for asking, B. We have information for oil-based paint and latex- or water-based paint on our website. But, that applies for products applied with brushes or rollers. For advice specific to spray paint cans, I put your question to our Hazardous Waste program manager.

Here is what I learned:

• Use up the spray paint product. Make sure the can no longer has pressure in it by holding down the valve until it is empty. Then, put the empty can in the trash.
• Or, bring the can to us at a Household Hazardous Waste drop-off site, and we'll extract any remaining product and depressurize it.

In addition to this advice... if there's an appreciable amount of product left in the can, and you no longer have a use for it, consider offering the can to your neighbors through your local Freecycle Network group.

Presidents' Day Holiday, February 16, 2009 - normal collection schedule

Monday, February 16, 2009 - Presidents' Day - is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule. Our Solid Waste Transfer Station will have its regular hours of operation.

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

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.

New compost bin pickup site... with weekend hours!

Given the snow that swirled around this morning, your thoughts may not yet have returned to gardening and composting. But, when they do, we're ready with a new pickup point for compost bins.

We just added the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Gaithersburg to our list of distribution sites. What's more, the ReStore is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.!

Our compost bins are available to County residents and businesses at no charge.

Compost bin pickup locations, and bin details

Our Winter 2009 Recycletter is available

I have just posted the Winter 2009 Recycletter to our website. The Recycletter is published quarterly by our Recycling Volunteer Program.

This issue's contents include:

• A Program update
• Answers to frequently asked questions
• Upcoming orientation sessions for new volunteers
• Fiscal Year 2008 recycling statistics
• An America Recycles Day 2008 wrap-up
• A calendar of events

For details, I'll purposely refer you to the Recycletter itself!

January 29, 2009: normal recycling/trash pickups, including yard trim

We are on our normal recycling and trash collection schedule today.

If your collection day is Thursday or Friday, you will receive yard trim collection on your normal day. We reversed our decision to cancel yard trim service this week - despite yesterday's ice, the crews' work went well, and we will be able to take your yard trim items, including Christmas trees.

Is your collection day Wednesday? We will not make up your yard trim collection this week. Please hold your yard trim material until next Wednesday.

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.

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

January 28, 2009: normal recycling/trash pickups; yard trim collection canceled

Good morning!

We are attempting our normal recycling and trash collection schedule today. However, yard trim collection, including Christmas trees, is canceled for today. (We'll make up for Christmas trees next week -- if you have a Christmas tree to be picked up, please set it out then.)

Trucks will likely begin their rounds with a delay. If a hill or street is not passable, the crew will make another attempt later in the day or tomorrow.

Please have your items visible from the street and at the curb, so that they are not hidden by snow banks or parked cars.

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.

Weather updates - January 27, 2009 - Transfer Station + Yard trim

With icy conditions expected this evening, we will be closing the Public Unloading and Recycling Drop-off Area at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station at 5:00 p.m. today, January 27, 2009.

On January 28, 2009, yard trim collection is canceled, due to weather. Still need to recycle your Christmas tree? We've extended the collection through next week.

January 27, 2009: Recycling/Trash collections on normal schedule

We are starting our day on our normal recycling and trash collection schedule today, without any weather delays.

If Tuesday is your collection day, please have your items at the curb by 7 a.m.

This week, County Cable Montgomery's "Montgomery County Comments" show features recycling.  In this episode, host Sue Tucker interviews Alan Pultyniewicz, our Recycling Coordinator.
Sue and Alan discuss a wide range of recycling how-to's, including

• recycling in apartments and condominums
• our expanded plastics recycling program
• curbside recycling
• yard trim recycling, grasscycling, and composting
• scrap metal recycling
• electronics recycling
• textile recycling
• where to get our compost bins at no charge
• Use It Again Guide
• Christmas tree recycling

And, they manage to squeeze all this into just 15 minutes!
Watch the "Montgomery County Comments" recycling interview

How are our Christmas trees recycled?

What happens to our Christmas trees after they are whisked away from the curb by a yard trim recycling truck?

The trees are taken to the Solid Waste Transfer Station, where they are unloaded in the yard trim area. Then, they are ground up into mulch. (This is why we ask you to remove all of the decorations -- they would become "contaminants" in the mulching process.) This Christmas tree mulch has a high quality. And, it smells wonderful! Get it while you can -- this special "recipe" is available only at this time of the year.

Our mulch is available at no charge at our Neighborhood Mulch Preserves.

And, if you find yourself driving past the Transfer Station, do roll down your window for a little of that pine fragrance...

Are rectangular milk and juice cartons recyclable?

Update, 12/7/2009: We now accept milk and juice cartons in our Montgomery County, Maryland, recycling program. Please remove the plastic caps from the cartons. Then, add them to your wheeled mixed paper recycling cart, place into a small paper bag or a small cardboard box with a secure lid, or bundle.

From our mailbag:

Are the 1/2 gallon rectangular shaped cartons that milk and orange juice come in recyclable? I just want to do the correct thing.

Thanks for your question, R.! Sorry, our recycling program does not accept milk and juice cartons because they are coated with a thin plastic film. In order to recover the paper fibers, they would need to be separated from this film layer. That's a step most paper recycling processes are not set up to handle. So, please put these cartons into the trash.

What kinds of wrapping paper are recyclable?

From our mailbag:

What kinds of wrapping paper are recyclable? I specifically wonder about the shiny, metallic paper that my wife likes.

Thanks for your timely question, M.! Metallic and foil papers do create a fine-looking gift presentation! But, as much as I hate to introduce any domestic discontent, please tell your wife (gently!) that we cannot accept foil- or plastic-coated papers for recycling. We accept all other types of gift wrap paper (minus the bows and ribbons!).
In a related question, B. asked:

Can you tell me what can be done with tissue paper?

Sure! That can go into your wheeled cart or paper recycling bundle, right along with the rest of your recyclable paper.

A note about the photo: that roll of gift wrap is labeled "polywrap". It looks like foil paper but... it's actually a thin plastic film. If you have or receive any of this type of wrap, please dispose of it as trash once you are finished using (and reusing) it; we cannot accept plastic films in our recycling program.

When it snows... watch for our announcements

Excited about last night's Winter Storm Watch, my boys were ready. They had their snow pants out, and their boots lined up.

I was ready, too: I had a laptop and cell phone, fully charged and standing by.

As we saw this morning, neither set of preparations was called into play. Still, it was good practice for a future weekday morning on which snow blankets the ground, or ice makes streets too slippery for recycling and trash collection vehicles.

If County-provided recycling or trash collection needed to be delayed or suspended due to weather on such a morning, I'd press that laptop into service as soon as I received the phone call to let me know that there was a collections change. I would update our website, and send a note to our announcement subscribers. You can receive notifications as email, a text message, or as an RSS feed.

Are you on our subscriber list? If not, I invite you to join our Collection Change notification list

Community Shred in Gaithersburg, December 13, 2008

The NBC4 Safe & Secure Community Shred rotates its locations.  This month, it returns to Gaithersburg!

Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008
8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
at the Montgomery County Agricultural Center (enter from Perry Parkway)
Safe & Secure Community shred details and driving directions

You may bring up to 5 boxes of personal papers, CDs and old credit cards for shredding -- no business or commerial materials, please. Your car must be in line by 11 a.m. in order to be served.