Leaf vacuuming begins November 6, 2006

Leaf vacuuming is done by the Highway Maintenance Section, one of our sister divisions/sections within the County's Department of Public Works and Transportation.

The Vacuum Leaf Collection Program for 2006 will begin on Monday, November 6, 2006. The Highway Maintenance website will be updated to help you track crews' progress.

Vacuum Leaf Collection Program details and weekly updates

How should you prepare your leaves for vacuum pickup?

Some tips from Highway Maintenance:

• Leaves should be placed in piles or containers on the grass or behind the curb. Placing leaves in streets or alleys can disrupt traffic and surface drainage, hamper snow removal operations or pose a fire hazard to automobiles parked over them.
• Collections are restricted to leaves only. Sticks, branches or coarse garden debris should be placed in containers or tied in bundles not more than four feet long and placed where household trash is regularly picked up.

What if you miss your vacuum collections, or if vacuuming is not available in your neighborhood?

The Division of Solid Waste Services continues to provide year-round collection of leaves, grass, and brush each week on your recycling day. See details on our website: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/yardtrim

Join us at a Neighborhood Chat - Oct. 30 or Nov. 2

• Learn the latest about recycling collection
• Find out how to request collection services
• Give back to your neighborhood

Attend one of our Neighborhood Chats to meet the Division of Solid Waste Services’ Community Outreach Program Specialists, and to join forces with like-minded County residents.

Chat dates:

• Monday, Oct. 30, 2006, 7:30 p.m., Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda
• Thursday, November 2, 2006, 7:30 p.m., Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave, Wheaton

Reserve your seat today:
Contact us at 301-840-2856 or jim.fustero@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off: Hours extended at Transfer Station

The Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off at the Shady Grove Transfer Station is now open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.!

Need paint for a project? Remember that this Drop-off offers you free paint!

Can you recycle Altoids tins?

From our email "bag":

I have recently been buying Altoids. I especially like licorice flavor ones. I was accumulating a few cans, thinking that they would make a nice storage container. After stacking up about 5 of them, I decided to toss them in the recycling bin. If they are not recyclable please give me some thoughts on how to dispose of them.

Thanks for your question! I did some sleuthing for you, and... you've been doing the right thing! Enjoy the mints and candies, and when the tin is empty, simply drop it into your blue bin for recycling.

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_