New Year's Day 2011 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

Friday, December 31, 2010 - New Year's Day (observed) - is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule. Regular collection services will be provided the week before and after this holiday.

Please help us prevent missed pickups by sharing this holiday schedule information with your families, friends, neighbors, and community groups.

If your normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of December 31, 2010, is:
Monday	Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday	Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday	Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday	Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday	Friday, December 31, 2010

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556)

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.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

• Friday, December 31, 2010: Administrative offices closed all day; facility drop-offs close at 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, January 1, 2011: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed.
• Sunday, January 2, 2011: Administrative offices closed; normal facility drop-off operations.
• Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

• Saturday, January 1, 2011: closed.
• Sunday, January 2, 2011: open with normal Beauty Spot hours.
• Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

Christmas Day 2010 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

Friday, December 24, 2010 - Christmas Day (observed) - is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule. Regular collection services will be provided the week before and after this holiday.

Please help us prevent missed pickups by sharing this holiday schedule information with your families, friends, neighbors, and community groups.

If your normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of December 24, 2010, is:
Monday	Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday	Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Wednesday	Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday	Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday	Friday, December 24, 2010

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556)

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.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

• Friday, December 24, 2010: Administrative offices closed all day; facility drop-offs close at 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 25, 2010: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed.
• Sunday, December 26, 2010: Administrative offices closed; normal facility drop-off operations.
• Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

• Saturday, December 25, 2010: closed.
• Sunday, December 26, 2010: closed.
• Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

A look ahead to New Year's Day 2011

There is no holiday slide for New Year's Day 2011. Regular collection services will be provided the week before and after this holiday.

If an actual holiday falls on the weekend, but the County observes the holiday on the Friday before or the Monday after the actual holiday, there is no change in the collection schedule.

2010 Silver Spring Thanksgiving Parade

Our staff and volunteers -- and Rocco the Recycling Retriever! -- participated in the 2010 Silver Spring Thanksgiving Parade. Here are some of our parade photos.

If the slide show doesn't appear, visit the direct link to our Flickr photo set.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day 2010 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Thursday, November 25, 2010 - Thanksgiving Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide; they will be one day later than normal.

If your normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of November 25, 2010, is:
Monday	Monday
Tuesday	Tuesday
Wednesday	Wednesday
Thursday	Friday
Friday	Saturday

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556)

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.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

• Wednesday, November 24, 2010: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs close at 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, November 25, 2010: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed.
• Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

• Saturday and Sunday, November 27 and 28, 2010: open with normal Beauty Spot hours.
• Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

A look ahead to Christmas 2010 and New Year's Day 2011

There is no holiday slide changing the collection schedule for Christmas 2010 or New Year's Day 2011. Regular collection services will be provided the week before and after these next two holidays.

If an actual holiday falls on the weekend, but the County observes the holiday on the Friday before or the Monday after the actual holiday, there is no change in the collection schedule.

Please help us prevent missed pickups by sharing this Christmas and New Year's Day information with your families, friends, neighbors, and community groups.

Recycle your holiday lights!

Updated December 2, 2011: Visit our newest webpage for our most current information on holiday light recycling.

Updated: November 19, 2010

A few years ago, a resident asked us

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

I did some research, and advised reuse or disposal as trash.

In 2010, we have a much better answer! We know of these local recycling opportunities for your working or broken Christmas and holiday lights.

• The Home Depot - all locations - through November 14, 2010
  • In Montgomery County:
    • Home Depot #2558
      14000 Georgia Avenue
      Aspen Hill MD 20906
      301-871-0603
    • Home Depot #2509
      7111 Westlake Terrace
      Bethesda, MD 20817
      301-634-3726
    • Home Depot #2550
      15740 Shady Grove Rd
      Gaithersburg MD 20877
      301-330-4900
    • Home Depot #2560
      21010 Frederick Rd
      Germantown MD 20876
      301-515-7944
    • Home Depot #2551
      2300 Broadbirch Dr
      Silver Spring MD 20904
      301-680-3500
• CVS/pharmacy - through November 20, 2010
  
• Lowe’s - through December 24, 2010
  
  • In Montgomery County:
    • Lowe's of Gaithersburg, MD #0223
      40 Market St
      Gaithersburg, MD 20878
      (301) 208-0400
• MOM's Organic Market - all locations - through January 31, 2011
  • In Montgomery County:
    • My Organic Market
      11711-B Parklawn Dr
      Rockville MD 20852
      301-816-4944
• Christmas-light-source.com - online retailer - year-round
• HolidayLEDs.com - online retailer - year-round

If you know of other local drop-off locations for lights, please tell us about them!

Leaf vacuuming begins November 8, 2010

The 2010 Leaf Vacuuming will begin Monday, November 8, 2010 (weather permitting).

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation's Division of Highway Services, one of our sister agencies, provides this service in the Leaf Collection District (PDF map). This District's general boundaries are: south of Bel Pre Road, east of I-270/I-495 and west of New Hampshire Avenue, to the District line.

Please help crews by

• Noting the information on the posted signs
• Raking leaves to the road edge (not into the street itself) or placing leaves in paper yard trim bags.
• Not placing leaves out for collection in plastic bags.
• Keeping parked vehicles away from leaf piles

Read full details on leaf vacuuming, including a service area map and progress updates.

Don't have leaf vacuuming service in your neighborhood? We provide our weekly curbside yard trim collections -- including leaves in paper yard trim bags or reusable cans -- year-round! You may order yard trim decals for your cans online. Also, consider composting leaves. We offer compost bins at no additional charge to you.

Keep all of our yard trim links handy through one convenient web page: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/yardtrim

Two paper shredding and clothing/household donation events on November 13 + 14, 2010 - America Recycles Day weekend

We're bringing community paper shred events to Gaithersburg and Silver Spring!

Join us to celebrate America Recycles Day 2010 with two paper shredding/recycling and clothing/household goods donation drop-offs. We literally collected tons of material for recycling and reuse at our 2009 America Recycles Day events -- help us beat last year's numbers!

Paper shredding and recycling is available at no charge to Montgomery County residents only, with a 5 bag/small box limit. Your paper will be shredded on-site.

Read our detailed paper shredding and donation guidelines, including a location map.

Saturday, November 13, 2010, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Gaithersburg High School
314 S. Frederick Ave
Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Sunday, November 14, 2010, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Montgomery Blair High School
51 University Blvd East (Colesville Road parking lot)
Silver Spring, MD 20901

On the same weekend, we'll also feature recycling information tables at a number of stores and markets throughout Montgomery County. Check our America Recycles Day web page for an updated list and maps of locations and times.

Paper shredding - November 13, 2010 - Potomac

It looks like November 2010 is shaping up to be a month full of community paper shred events!

If you're in the Potomac area, mark your calendars for this one:

Saturday, November 13, 2010
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Potomac Community Center
11315 Falls Road
Potomac, Maryland 20854

A $5 donation per box of paper benefits the Friends of the Potomac Community Center.

Thank you to PG for letting us know about this event.

Columbus Day 2010 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

Monday, October 11, 2010 - 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 call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556).

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.

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

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day - Saturday, September 25, 2010

Is your medicine cabinet home to expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs? Bring these items to one of three local Prescription Drug Take-Back Day drop-off sites on Saturday, September 25, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Participation is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.

The Montgomery County Department of Police will have drop-off sites in Rockville and Bethesda. Read the Montgomery County news release.

Montgomery County Police Headquarters
2350 Research Blvd
Rockville, MD 20850
map for Montgomery County Police Headquarters

2nd District Police Station
7359 Wisconsin Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
map for 2nd District Police Station

The Rockville City Police Department will have a drop-off site at its police station. Read the Rockville news release.

Rockville City Police Station
111 Maryland Ave
Rockville, MD 20850
map for Rockville City Police Station

Can't attend the Take-Back Day? Follow our instructions for how to dispose of medicine / prescription drugs.

Not in Montgomery County? Find a Take-Back site near you.

Labor Day 2010 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Monday, September 6, 2010 - Labor 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 normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of September 6, 2010, is:
Monday	Tuesday
Tuesday	Wednesday
Wednesday	Thursday
Thursday	Friday
Friday	Saturday

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556)

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.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

• Monday, September 6, 2010: Site and administrative offices closed.
• Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

• No Beauty Spot closings are announced at this time.
• Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

Our Resource Recovery Facility received the 2010 SWANA Gold Award!

The Solid Waste Association of North America awarded its "2010 Gold Waste to Energy Excellence Award” to the Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility (RRF). This award considers all aspects of waste to energy operations and represents the highest level of excellence among the nation’s nearly one hundred facilities.

Having also received the SWANA Gold Waste to Energy Excellence Award for the years 1998 and 2005, this is the third time that the Montgomery County RRF has received SWANA Gold for its waste to energy facility.

Other awards received in the past for the County's facility include:

• American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) - Excellence in WTE Operations, 2000
• American Association of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) - Excellence in Environmental Engineering, Grand Prize for Operations/Management, 1998
• American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) - National Capital Section Outstanding Civil Engineering Project, 1997

--posted by Bill Davidson, Chief, Northern Operations, Emissions, Strategic Planning

Storm cleanup - week of July 25, 2010

Did you lose power after the storm on July 25, 2010, leaving you with rotten or spoiled food? We posted some food disposal tips, especially useful if your trash collection day is still a few days away.

We also have details on how to deal with post-storm tree debris.

What tips have you found helpful in your storm cleanup? Share your favorites with us.

-- posted by Susanne

Take a hike... on the Blue Mash Nature Trail

What happens to a landfill when it closes? For the Oaks Landfill in Laytonsville, MD, the answer is that part of the property has become the Blue Nash Nature Trail, with opportunities for hiking and shared-use.

The Montgomery County Department of Parks designates Blue Mash as a "great birdwatching spot" in its Great Green Getaways. This trail is a favored destination during the spring and fall migration periods, but has lots to see at any time of the year.

Grab a (reusable) water bottle and some comfortable shoes, and discover how "trash to treasure" applies to the Oaks Landfill!

Independence Day 2010 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

Monday, July 5, 2010 - Independence Day (observed) - is a regular recycling and trash collection day for Montgomery County-provided collections. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule the week of July 5th.

If your normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of July 5, 2010, is:
Monday	Monday
Tuesday	Tuesday
Wednesday	Wednesday
Thursday	Thursday
Friday	Friday

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact the Montgomery County Customer Service Center at 311 (240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556).

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.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

• Saturday, July 3, 2010: Normal site operations; administrative offices closed.
• Sunday, July 4, 2010: Site and administrative offices closed.
• Monday, July 5, 2010: Normal site operations; administrative offices closed.
• Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

• Saturday, July 3, 2010: open
• Sunday, July 4, 2010: closed
• Beauty Spot locations, hours and other details

What did you spot in the blue bin?

My last post was about lawnmowers. At the end of it, I asked whether you saw anything wrong with the blue bin...

Yes! Right there at the top of the bin is a... big plastic trash bag!

Even if you collect recyclable items in plastic bags, please put only loose cans, bottles, jars and containers into your blue bin. Then, reuse the bags, recycle them, or if they are dirty, put them into the trash.

Our Recycling Center sorting process works most efficiently when we receive your loose recyclables. When items are delivered in plastic bags, workers must open and remove the bags by hand.

Can a gas lawnmower be put out for a special pick up?

Photo credit: G. A. Corrick

From our mailbag:

Can a gas lawnmower be put out for a special pick up?

Thanks for your question, J.!

Yes, we accept gas (and other) lawnmowers in our scrap metal recycling program. To request a curbside collection, just call us at 240-777-6410. We must receive your call by 11 a.m. on the business day before your recycling day. The pickups are made on your recycling day.

To prepare your mower for collection, remove all gas and oil from it. If the mower has a battery, take it out. Then, set the mower at your curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling day. (We accept batteries in our Household Hazardous Waste Program.)

Have a riding mower to recycle? We cannot accept it as curbside scrap metal. However, we do accept riding mowers at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station scrap metal drop-off area.

So, that takes care of lawnmowers. But, take a closer look at the lawnmower photo above. What do you spot in the blue bin? See any issues? We'll revisit this in the next blog post!

Fun find in the compost pile

Found in one of my compost piles:

Some years ago, I came across the perfect white cotton t-shirt. The fabric was soft and comfortable, the fit was great, and I wore it often. Over time, holes developed. I mended what I could.

The day came when I had to declare the shirt ready for the rag pile. Reluctantly, I pulled out the scissors, and cut my t-shirt into a number of cloth wipes. The wipes served us well, helping us to clean dishes and mop up spills.

Even wipes wear out. When the holes got too big, I added the pieces of cloth to a compost pile in the backyard.

As I turned the pile this spring, the item in the picture got caught up in my pitchfork. I'm used to finding all sorts of hidden treasures in with the composting yard trim, but what was this?!

Thread... a tag... Of course! These were the remains of my t-shirt. At least, what I had in my hands was what was left of the shoulder seam: while the t-shirt fabric was 100% cotton - and had completely decomposed - the thread and tag were apparently not!

Happy composting, and... discovering!

Read more about how to get started with composting yard trim (not necessarily t-shirts, though they do count as a carbon-rich ingredient!).

Need a compost bin? Visit our list of compost bin pickup locations, newly updated for Spring 2010.

Memorial Day 2010 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Monday, May 31, 2010 - Memorial 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 normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of May 31, 2010, is:
Monday	Tuesday
Tuesday	Wednesday
Wednesday	Thursday
Thursday	Friday
Friday	Saturday

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, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

• Monday, May 31, 2010: Site and administrative offices closed.
• Transfer Station location, hours and other details

Poolesville Beauty Spot

New Beauty Spot hours are in effect, beginning January 2, 2010: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

• No Beauty Spot closings are announced at this time.
• Beauty Spot locations, hours and other details

New collection trucks run on compressed natural gas

What's unique about the newest recycling and trash trucks used by our contracted hauling companies? They are fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). In fact, they are the first CNG solid waste collection vehicles in Maryland!

We have 20 CNG trucks on the road right now. They are serving neighborhoods in Bethesda and Silver Spring/Kemp Mill. Our contractors expect to add another 21 CNG trucks to their fleets in Fall 2010.

Why CNG? One of the benefits is that these vehicles create less pollution than conventional diesel-fueled trucks.

Here's a side view of a CNG recycling truck at Montgomery County's Compressed Natural Gas Fueling Station:

Photo credit: G.A. Corrick

Here's the same truck from the rear. It has a "split hopper" design: the left compartment holds commingled recyclables -- the items you set out in your blue bins -- and the right compartment holds mixed paper.

Photo credit: G.A. Corrick

What happens when your paper recycling cart is damaged?

Let’s face it. Recycling containers get a workout. Your paper recycling cart may develop a broken

• lid
• lift bar
• wheel, or
• body

What happens next? Call Montgomery County's Customer Service Center at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850) for a repair. Our Customer Service staff will schedule a Thursday appointment with you.

If we receive your request before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, we can add you to our list for that week. Otherwise, we'll give you an appointment for Thursday of the next week.

What’s special about carts and Thursdays? It’s our cart repair day! If the problem(s) can be fixed, we’ll do that. And, if the cart is beyond repair, we’ll give you a replacement.

We ask you to set your cart at the curb empty. This allows our staff to work on your cart easily. A full cart can weigh over 200 pounds, which is why recycling collection vehicles have a mechanical lift to empty them. Our cart-repairers do not have lifts or the truck they would need to transport any paper they took with them.

When arriving at your address, we first assess the “patient.” This cart has two problems. Can you spot them?

Photo credit: R. Birndorf

After the diagnosis, surgery begins!

Photo credit: R. Birndorf

First, the team gives the lid hinge a new pin.

Photo credit: R. Birndorf

The mechanical lift hooks on to the metal bar on the front of the cart. Remember how heavy those full carts can be? Sometimes, the lift bar simply starts to give. Here, it’s swapped out for a new, straight bar.

Photo credit: J. Buhl

Voila! This cart is good as new, ready to receive many more pounds of paper from its owners!

Photo credit: J. Buhl

Are churches, and programs they host, required to recycle?

From our mailbag:

“Are Churches and businesses run on their facilities (Childrens' programs - schools and day care) required to comply with SORRT?”

Thanks for your question, B. To clarify for everyone, SORRT – Smart Organizations Reduce and Recycle Tons - is our non-residential recycling program. All non-residential properties in Montgomery County, regardless of type or size, are required to recycle all mandatory materials in accordance with Executive Regulation 15-04AM. This includes churches.

Our Business Recycling Handbook, available in English, as well as Chinese and Spanish, is a comprehensive resource for planning, starting, and maintaining a recycling program at non-residential properties.

We’re happy to provide advice and assistance by phone or in person, too! For more information, or to schedule a visit, please call the SORRT Program Office at 240-777-6486.

Gabriela Monzon-Reynolds
Manager, Business Recycling SORRT Program

From branches to mulch

The numbers are in!

In March, we felt the aftermath of this winter’s snow storms at our Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station, where we grind branches and woody vegetation into mulch.

During March 2009, we produced 2,428 tons of mulch. During March 2010, we produced over 17,552 tons — over seven times as much!

Need any mulch for your yard or other projects? We have lots available our Neighborhood Mulch Preserves.

Celebrate Earth Day with us on April 17 and 18, 2010

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with us at two paper shredding/recycling and household goods/clothing donation collection events!

Here are some of the questions we've been getting:

I am concerned about identity theft. Can I watch my paper be shredded?

Yes, you certainly may watch! In fact, the shredding trucks are equipped with a video camera and monitor. You are welcome to observe the monitor as your paper is fed into the shredder and processed.

What happens to the paper after it's shredded?

All of the shredded paper is recycled.

What paper, and clothing and household items, will you accept?

We have a list of participation/donation guidelines on our Earth Day page. For even more detail, check the website of the organization accepting items at the collection event you want to attend -- our Earth Day page has the links.

When will you have other shredding and donation events in our area?

For now, we have the April 17 and 18 events on our calendar, choosing both a Saturday and a Sunday in two different areas of the County to make participation convenient for as many residents as possible.

Keep an eye on our website for updates. As we plan other events in the future, we'll post the information to our site and blog.

Help us top the numbers we achieved at our America Recycles Day shredding and donation events in November 2009: 11,000 residents brought in 40,000 pounds of paper to be shredded and recycled, and filled 7 donation trucks!

And, if you have time after dropping off your paper and donations, stay and enjoy the Ridge Road Recreational Park or Wheaton Regional Park. Both have picnic facilities and more!

Event Dates

Saturday, April 17, 2010
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Rain or Shine)
Ridge Road Recreational Park (map)
Picnic Area Parking Lot
21155 Frederick Road
Germantown, MD 20876

Sunday, April 18, 2010
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Rain or Shine)
Wheaton Regional Park (map)
Parking Lot next to the Wheaton Carousel
2002 Shorefield Road
Wheaton, MD 20902

Tree debris tips from our Transfer Station

Our Solid Waste Transfer Station has been receiving an extremely large volume of trees limbs that came down during last winter’s snow storms.

If possible, we ask you to make use of the weekly recycling collection for yard trim from your home. See our Storm Cleanup page for preparation instructions.

If you want to deliver the material to the Transfer Station yourself because you have larger tree sections or limbs, please be prepared for the possibility of long lines during peak periods on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Transfer Station has evening hours from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. These hours are lightly used and would assure a quick and efficient drop-off.

Residents may bring in as much natural wood waste / yard trim as they want from their own home. The 500 pound limit for the public drop-off facility only applies to trash.

-- posted by Peter Karasik, Chief, Central Operations Section, Division of Solid Waste Services

When your recyclables or trash are missed, please let us know

From our mailbag:

Our trash day is Monday, and our trash and recycling have been sitting outside since early Monday morning just waiting for some to come pick it up... When is it being picked up?? No one has bothered to tell us anything. This is ridiculous.

The recent record snowfall in Montgomery County presented significant challenges in providing refuse collection services. To protect the safety of the public and our workers, County-provided collection services were cancelled last Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Yard trim collection remained cancelled this week, but both recycling and refuse collection services were provided on a normal schedule.

The writer did not provide us with an address, so we cannot determine if he/she lives in the County or in one of the municipalities, nor can we investigate this complaint. Please call us at 240-777-6410, and we will be happy to look into it.

The challenges we faced in providing collection this week were numerous. In addition to the obvious difficulty in traversing county roads after the enormous snowfall, and with many single lane paths on two way streets, the volume of trash and recycling was nearly twice the norm. Snow banks created by plows blocked the view of many cans and bins from our collectors. Commonly used white trash bags were difficult to see, and no doubt we missed a few.

The residents of Montgomery County understood the extreme circumstances we faced. We have received numerous calls and emails thanking us for our outstanding work. In return, we would like to extend our thanks to you residents for your patience and understanding, and to the hundreds of our contractors’ employees who braved the freezing temperatures, driving and walking through miles of deep snow to collect our trash. And to our customers, please accept our sincere apology if your trash or recycling was missed.

As of the week of February 22, 2010, all collections, including yard trim will be back to normal. We will still be dealing with the after-effects of the snow for quite some time, and as a result running a bit late each day. But, we will be there on your scheduled day. Please help us by placing your refuse and recyclables near the curb in a visible, safe location by 7 a.m. on your normal collection day.

Thank you for your continued patience. If you have any questions, please call us at 240-777-6410.

-- posted by Robin Ennis, Chief, Collections Section, Division of Solid Waste Services

Presidents Day Holiday 2010 and Snow Update for week of February 15-19, 2010

Monday, February 15, 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.

Snow update for week of February 15-19, 2010

Collection Service	Service status for week of February 15-19, 2010
Trash	All trash pickups will be made on their regular schedule.
Recycling	All recycling pickups will be made on their regular schedule.
Yard trim	All yard trim pickups canceled.

Why are we canceling yard trim collection next week?

Without yard trim collection next week, our contractors can focus on the greater-than-usual volume of trash and recyclables we expect you to set out.

What is the status of bulk trash and scrap metal recycling collections I requested for last week?

If you requested a bulk trash or scrap metal recycling collection for the week of February 8-12, 2010, we have asked our contractors to collect your items during the week of February 15-19, 2010. This applies to items which

• didn’t get collected due to collection cancellations
• didn’t get set out last week, and which you will set out on your collection day during the week of February 15-19
• are at the curb but are currently covered by snow.

Crews will collect material that is retrievable. However, they are not expected to shovel snow or excavate items for collection.

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, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Snow update for February 11, 2010 - Transfer Station closed

The Solid Waste Transfer Station will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, February 11, 2010.

Solid Waste Services/Facilities: Collection update 2/10-2/12; Transfer Station closed 2/10

Montgomery County-provided residential garbage, recycling and yard trim collection services are cancelled for Wednesday, Thursday ,and Friday, February 10 - 12, 2010. The normal collection schedule will resume on Monday, February 15, 2010.

The Transfer Station will be closed on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. Weather and road conditions may cause these schedules to be altered. Any changes will be posted on our web site: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during these extreme weather conditions.

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, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

The direct link for the Division of Solid Waste Services is: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/solidwaste

Snow update for February 9, 2010 - trash pickups only; Transfer Station open

We will continue to update our website and announcements as we see how the weather forecast for this afternoon and beyond unfolds.

Recycling and Trash Collection Status

The collection status update for Montgomery County-provided recycling and trash collections for today, Tuesday, February 9, 2010, is:

• Trash collection only.
  • We will be working on routes normally serviced on Mondays and Tuesdays. All trash items must be at the curb for pickup.
• No recycling collection for the remainder of the week.
  • We have canceled all recycling and yard trim pickups.

(Yesterday, we had planned to "slide" all collection days this week. Because of current road conditions on neighborhood streets and the additional snow in the weather forecast, we have canceled the slide.)

Solid Waste Transfer Station

The Shady Grove Transfer Stationplans to be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, with no evening hours.

If site conditions deteriorate and the site roads and drop-off areas areas become slick, we may close the Transfer Station earlier.

Snow update for February 8, 2010 - recycling and trash collections canceled

Whew! What a snow storm! We have canceled Montgomery County-provided recycling and trash collections for tomorrow, Monday, February 8, 2010. All pickups this week will slide by one day.

Yard trim collections are canceled all week.

We will reassess the road condition situation on Tuesday morning, and send you status updates as needed. What goes into our collection status decision when winter weather hits? The process begins at 4 am... read about the decision details.

Update, 2/8/2010, 12:45pm: The Solid Waste Transfer Station is open today. It will close at 5pm, with no evening hours.

If your normal collection day is:	Your collection day for the week of February 8, 2010, is:
Monday	Tuesday
Tuesday	Wednesday
Wednesday	Thursday
Thursday	Friday
Friday	Saturday

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, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Tip from Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Service: Please make sure you keep your local fire hydrant clear of any snow so that our people can readily see them and use them in case of fire. Help us to help you if need be!

What goes into our collection status decision when winter weather hits?

To run a normal collection schedule or not to run a normal collection schedule? That is the question!

What goes into our recycling and trash collection status decision when winter weather hits? The process begins at 4 a.m., when we send out two or three of our field staff as scouts. Their task is to drive around in their assigned area to check road conditions: how safe is it for big collection vehicles to be passing though neighborhood streets? On a normal day, we have about 100 trucks out and about.

Meanwhile, one of our Collections program managers is on his way into the office, taking a more roundabout route than usual so that he, too, can check on neighborhood streets. The scouts call in to the manager to share their findings. Together, the team develops a recommendation for that day’s collection service. What elements of our service will we be able to provide? Do we include yard trim collection, or suspend it for the day? Canceling yard trim pickups means 20 fewer trucks, and frees up those workers to supplement the recycling and trash crews.

By now, it’s approximately 5 a.m.

A new round of phone calls begins. Our manager contacts our contracted trash and recycling collection companies to find out what they think about the day’s weather with respect to providing pickup service, and to discuss the County’s recommendation. Because the companies’ managers have been on the road themselves, they are able to provide additional data points. In addition to road conditions, the County and company managers also consider the collection crew workers’ ability to get in to work.

Following these discussions, our program manager calls our Collections section chief for a final decision. Then, we activate our notification system for you! The program manager makes two more contacts: he emails the County’s Public Information Office, and he calls me.

By now, it is around 6 a.m.

I, in turn, get the word to you as quickly as possible by sending out emails to our announcement subscribers, and by updating our website, blog, and @TalkinTrashMC Twitter account.

Snow update for February 5-7, 2010 - Beauty Spot and Transfer Station closures

This weekend, our facilities will have these closures, due to snow:

Shady Grove Transfer Station

• Friday, February 5, 2010: closing at 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, February 6, 2010: closed
• Sunday, February 7, 2010: closed

Poolesville Beauty Spot

• Saturday, February 6, 2010: closed
• Sunday, February 7, 2010: closed

Tip from Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Service:

Please make sure you keep your local fire hydrant clear of any snow so that our people can readily see them and use them in case of fire. Help us to help you if need be!

Best wishes for a safe weekend!

Snow update for Wednesday, February 3, 2010: Normal collection schedule

The salt on the roads did its job, and so we are on our normal recycling and trash collection schedule this morning. We'll continue to check road conditions -- if your street is unpassable when a collection truck comes through in the morning, we'll send the truck back to you before the end of the day.

Gardening tip (yes, in the middle of winter!): All of the Christmas trees you set out for recycling, and which we ground up, make this a great time to pick up a load of our mulch for your spring projects. (See our tree-grinding operation at the Shady Grove Transfer Station.)

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, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Snow update for February 1, 2010 - normal recycling + trash collection schedule

We are running our normal Monday recycling and trash collection schedule today, February 1, 2010.

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.

Can we recycle salted nut canisters?

From our mailbag:

Can we recycle salted nut canisters (cylindrical paper with metal bottom and metal top rim)?

Thanks for your question, D. Another resident asked us a very similar question a short while later. And, it's one we faced in my own household last month with a coffee can of similar construction -- we stood there in the kitchen, debating the pros and cons of the various disposal and recycling options... So, the topic is ripe for a blog entry!

Our recycling program cannot accept containers made of more than one type of material; so the nut (and coffee and similar) canisters would be a "no" since the metal rim and foil paper would be a contaminant of the mixed paper recycling process.

On the bright side, the plastic lid is accepted in our recycling program!

So, the bottom line is this:
if you don't have a reuse for it, please

• put the canister into your trash
• put the plastic lid into your blue recycling bin.

Update, 1/15/2010:

This post generated several reader responses – thanks!

You asked whether we still accept milk and juice cartons - which may have plastic spouts and lids - or juice and drink boxes. Yes, we do! Please continue to add these to your paper recycling.

The beverage cartons and boxes are recycled using a process called hydropulping. This process is able to separate plastics, such as the plastic spout or lid, from the coated paper fibers. On the other hand, the paper-type canisters can have layers of wrapping and metal which is difficult for paper recyclers to remove. While these containers may look similar, the processes for handling them do vary. Therefore, the canisters are not recyclable in our program.

Some of you suggested creative ways to make the most of your canisters:

• “I often have containers that have metal tops and bottoms and a cardboard body. I tend to take pliers to them and rip off the top and bottom and put them in our "metal" bin which we occasionally take to the Transfer Station metal area.” – submitted by M.
• “We use these nut containers to pour grease into, then let it harden or refrigerate it and put it into the trash. Keep grease from going down your drain.” – submitted by B.

Snow update for January 8, 2010 - normal recycling + trash collection schedule

We are running our normal Friday recycling and trash collection schedule today, January 8, 2010.

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.