Prepare for your trip to our Transfer Station

Because we want you to know about our regulations for using our Shady Grove Solid Waste Transfer Station before you've carefully loaded your materials into your vehicle and made the drive over...

Check out the Public Unloading Facility Regulations (for trash drop-off) we just posted to our website. Find out which trucks are allowed when, trailer use, and more.

Did we leave your question about using the Transfer Station unanswered? Let me know -- I'll work on getting the answer included on this page.

Praise for a collection crew

I spotted this compliment for a Kensington recycling crew in the Washington Post's Metro section today:

Not only are they about the hardest-working people I've seen in a long time, but they also are conscientious about doing a good job at one of the least-glamorous tasks there is.

Thanks, Mr. Schaper, for your kind words to your neighborhood crew. We agree!

Molded plastic fruit packaging: trash or treasure?

Our field staff are out and about on each collection day. As they walk and drive through neighborhoods, they see the contents of many, many recycling bins.

I received this photo from a field colleague who's seeing a lot of this molded plastic packaging set out in blue bins right now. This packaging style is often used in warehouse stores, and generally holds fruit like apples and oranges.

Thank you for your enthusiasm in adding this item to your blue bins! Unfortunately, we cannot accept these molded plastics in our recycling program.

So, what should you do with this tray packaging? At this time of year, it might be ideal for storing the holiday decorations you're putting away for the next season. Your household is likely to have some other creative reuses, too.

And, if you don't have a reuse for the packaging, please put it into your household trash.

How might I recycle old Christmas lights?

Updated holiday light recycling information posted November 10, 2010

From our mailbag:

Just wondering how i might recycle old christmas lights? (C9 size)

Thanks for your question! A few moments on Google showed that these are the familiar strings of holiday lights.

Sorry, none of our Montgomery County, MD, recycling programs accept these light strings. If the strings are broken, please dispose of them in your regular household trash.

If they still work, consider offering them on your local Freecycle Network group for reuse. Lots of Christmas lights have already exchanged hands, and yours are likely to find a new home in short order as well. That's even better than reycling them!

January 15, 2007: Martin Luther King, Jr., Day - normal collection schedule

Monday, January 15, 2007 - 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.

(Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The texts of his Acceptance Speech and Nobel Lecture are online.)

From the Transfer Station to the Waste-to-Energy Facility

I previously left you hanging with the question: Where does the trash go after it leaves the Transfer Station?

After waste leaves our Shady Grove Solid Waste Transfer Station, it travels by rail to our Resource Recovery Facility in Dickerson, Maryland.

Waste-to-energy is a process which combusts waste at extremely high temperatures, and converts the stored internal energy of waste into usable energy, such as steam or electricity.

Montgomery County's facility typically operates at temperatures above 2000°F, thereby destroying pathogens, bacteria and toxins. It reduces the volume of waste approximately 90 percent. Electricity generated is sold to offset the costs of operation.

Tour the Resource Recovery Facility