Christmas Day 2012 + New Year's Day 2013 - modified trash and recycling collection schedules

Sign up for our Holiday Reminder email and text messages

Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - Christmas Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Monday, December 24, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday	Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Wednesday	Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thursday	Friday, December 28, 2012
Friday	Saturday, December 29, 2012

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

Transfer Station location, hours and other details

• Monday, December 24, 2012: Facility drop-off areas close at 5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, December 25, 2012: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed all day.
• Wednesday, December 26, 2012: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs reopen with normal hours.

Poolesville Beauty Spot

Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

• Saturday, December 22, 2012: Open with normal hours
• Sunday, December 23, 2012: Open with normal hours

A look ahead to the New Year's Day 2013 schedule

Tuesday, January 1, 2013 - New Year's Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Monday, December 31, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday	Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Wednesday	Thursday, January 3, 2013
Thursday	Friday, January 4, 2013
Friday	Saturday, January 5, 2013

Christmas tree recycling and holiday recycling tips

We collect Christmas trees for recycling on your recycling day. Remember to remove all decorations. Details about how to prepare your Christmas tree for pick up.

Local holiday light recycling locations accept light strings through January 2013.

This holiday material	May be disposed/recycled in this way
Bakery trays and cake domes, deli containers and trays, fruit and vegetable containers and baskets	Put into your blue recycling bin.
Cardboard boxes	Add to your curbside recycling. May be unflattened - but, consider flattening and folding so that you don't advertise your new items to prospective thieves.
Clementine fruit boxes	Put into the trash.
Cookie / popcorn / cake tins	Share for reuse, or put into your blue recycling bin.
Gift wrap	If paper, remove ribbons and bows, and add to your paper recycling. Tape does not need to be removed. If foil-coated, put into the trash.

What's on your holiday list... for recycling + trash information?

What may we help you find on our website and social media? Share your information wishlist with us in this short, one-page survey. We're constantly tweaking our website, and will use your answers to help guide our work.

How do you say "recycle"?

How do you say "recycle"?  Our new doorhanger, "Recycling Guidelines for Single-Family Households", gives it to you in 10 ways:

• English
• Chinese
• Spanish
• Korean
• French
• Vietnamese
• Russian
• Farsi
• Amharic
• Portuguese

Simple text, plus many color photos, make this a handy reference in any language.

Thanksgiving Day 2012 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Sign up for our Holiday Reminder email and text messages

Thursday, November 22, 2012 - Thanksgiving Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Monday, November 19, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday	Tuesday, November 20, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday	Wednesday, November 21, 2012 (no change)
Thursday	Friday, November 23, 2012
Friday	Saturday, November 24, 2012

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

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

Transfer Station location, hours and other details

• Wednesday, November 21, 2012: Facility drop-off areas close at 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, November 22, 2012: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed all day.
• Friday, November 23, 2012: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs reopen with normal hours.

Poolesville Beauty Spot

Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

• Saturday, November 24, 2012: Open with normal hours
• Sunday, November 25, 2012: Open with normal hours

Thanksgiving recycling

As you prepare, enjoy, and clean up after your Thanksgiving celebrations, keep your blue bins busy! As you reduce, reuse, and recycle, remember that our plastics program now accepts #1 PET thermoform packaging. That includes clamshells, trays, deli containers, lids, domes, and cups. See photo examples on our blog. Download or print our recycling postcard as a handy reference for holiday guests. If our resources don't answer your disposal or recycling questions, please contact us for help!

Recycle your old holiday lights

Does your stash of holiday lights include strings which aren't working? Or, are you swapping conventional light strings for ones with LEDs? We've updated our list of local holiday light recycling locations. If you know of other light string recycling opportunities, please let us know.

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We wish you a happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Veterans Day 2012 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

Sign up for our Holiday Reminder email and text messages

Monday, November 12, 2012 - 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 your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Monday, November 12, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday	Tuesday, November 13, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday	Wednesday, November 14, 2012 (no change)
Thursday	Thursday, November 15, 2012 (no change)
Friday	Friday, November 16, 2012 (no change)

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

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

Thanks after Hurricane Sandy

Thank you for your support during our 2-day collection slide following Hurricane Sandy. We appreciated your reports of sharing the word about our modified schedule with your neighbors.

In addition to the emails you already receive from us, and visits to our website (shortcut: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/solidwaste), you may check our collection status by:

• Signing up for text messages
• Following us on Twitter @TalkinTrashMC
• Liking us on Facebook
• Subscribing to our electronic calendar feed (We're transitioning to another calendar provider - let me know if you want to test the new version.)

Columbus Day 2012 - normal trash and recycling collection schedule

Sign up for our Holiday Reminder email and text messages

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bring your paper to our October 2012 shredding and recycling event

Mark your calendars for our series of Fall paper shredding and recycling events! They are free of charge, open to all residents, and held rain or shine. No businesses, please.
See details about accepted items and the full schedule, and sign up for shredding announcements/reminders

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

Event time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Add the October 21 event to your electronic calendar
Combine your paper drop-off with a visit to the park's features!

Storm cleanup update - July 2, 2012

Update for Monday, July 2, 2012

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

• Storm debris
• Spoiled food

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

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

Independence Day 2012 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Subscribe to our holiday reminders (Available as wireless alerts, too!) Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - Independence Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.

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

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

If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850)
Note: if you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

Transfer Station location, hours and other details

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

Poolesville Beauty Spot

Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

• No changes to hours of operation at this time

Clamshells and other #1 plastics now accepted

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

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

New plastic items accepted for recycling!

Recycling in Montgomery County just got easier!

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

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

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

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

Here are examples of some of the new plastic items…

Clamshell containers

Bakery trays and cake domes

Condiment cups

Cups

Deli trays and containers

Fruit and vegetable containers and baskets

Tubs and lids

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2012 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 2012 - modified trash and recycling collection schedule

Monday, January 16, 2012 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday - 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 January 16, 2012, is
Monday	Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday	Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wednesday	Thursday, January 19, 2012
Thursday	Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday	Saturday, January 21, 2012

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

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

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

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

Transfer Station location, hours and other details

• Saturday, January 14, 2012: Open with normal hours
• Sunday, January 15, 2012: Open with normal hours
• Monday, January 16, 2012: Administrative offices and facility drop-offs closed
• Tuesday, January 17, 2012: Open with normal hours

Poolesville Beauty Spot

Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

• Saturday, January 14, 2012: Open with normal hours
• Sunday, January 15, 2012: Open with normal hours

Reminder: Christmas Tree recycling

We will collect Christmas trees for recycling on your recycling day from through Friday, February 3, 2012. Remember to remove all decorations.

Gardeners: those Christmas trees are ground up into mulch, which is available at no charge from our Mulch Preserves in Derwood and Poolesville. If you want a pine-rich blend, now is a great time to stock up. Bring your own containers and tools for loading. (And, for tips on growing veggies, don't miss the University of Maryland's Grow It, Eat It Program.)