05-13-2008, 11:08 PM
In a suburb of Portland, Oregon we put the following in one large plastic can that is picked up every other week: Cardboard, Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, (rigid nursery plant pots 4" to 5 gallons) No plastic lids/caps. Any clean paper including newspapers, magazines junk mail and shredded paper, milk cartons, drink boxes - items with food should be rinsed out. No wax paper or frozen food boxes or hard-covered books.
Also, rinsed out tin cans, and the paper labels do not need to be removed, aerosol containers with the caps removed, metal paint cans with 1" or less of dried paint.
And, clean scrap metal (size limitation) and no appliances.
All the above is combined in one large plastic can.
We also have a small red plastic box for glass items.
Every other week they collect a large yard debris barrel for mostly grass, shrubbery trimmings, leaves and smaller wood/tree items no larger around than a thumb, but no large quantities of dirt.
We also have an annual fall leave drop-off place for 2 weekends - I usually bring about 12 plastic bags of leaves. This drop-off is free, but a donation is requested of some canned good items for a local charity.
And finally, we have a smaller trash barrel for items that won't qualify above that is picked up weekly.
With this setup they can now pick up all the items using the hydraulic lift on the truck, except for the glassware, which has to be loaded manually.
Most local grocery stores have a drop-off spot for plastic bags, but I have no idea if they actually recycle them.
LyleH
Also, rinsed out tin cans, and the paper labels do not need to be removed, aerosol containers with the caps removed, metal paint cans with 1" or less of dried paint.
And, clean scrap metal (size limitation) and no appliances.
All the above is combined in one large plastic can.
We also have a small red plastic box for glass items.
Every other week they collect a large yard debris barrel for mostly grass, shrubbery trimmings, leaves and smaller wood/tree items no larger around than a thumb, but no large quantities of dirt.
We also have an annual fall leave drop-off place for 2 weekends - I usually bring about 12 plastic bags of leaves. This drop-off is free, but a donation is requested of some canned good items for a local charity.
And finally, we have a smaller trash barrel for items that won't qualify above that is picked up weekly.
With this setup they can now pick up all the items using the hydraulic lift on the truck, except for the glassware, which has to be loaded manually.
Most local grocery stores have a drop-off spot for plastic bags, but I have no idea if they actually recycle them.
LyleH