General Information
One - 15 gallon recycling bin is provided with garbage service in the city limit. It
is picked up weekly on the same day as your garbage. For additional information
about Recycling and Waste Reduction please contact our office at 541-267-2848 or
541-756-5211.
Recycling Yes and No
Important! Please empty recyclables out of bags and boxes so that they can be easily
sorted at the recycling center. Clean paper bags and cardboard boxes are recyclable.
Just put them in your recycling cart after you empty them. Plastic bags are not
accepted curbside, but can be reused or recycled at grocery stores.
Acceptable Items to place in your recycle cart:
All OR redemption value drink containers
Clean paper and mail
Corrugated cardboard
Cereal boxes (without the liner) / Shoe boxes
Brown paper bags
Newspaper and magazines
Shredded paper in tied clear plastic bags - No confetti
Paperback books
Catalogs, phone books
Plastic bottles, jars and jugs - No caps
Plastic dairy tubs (yogurt, margarine) - No lids
All colors of glass jars, bottles and jugs - No lids
Aluminum foil or foil baking pans
Aluminum cans
Steel or tin cans
Remember:There is no charge for collection of extra recyclables that don't fit in
your bin. Put them in recycling bins, cardboard boxes (limit 2'X2'X2') or paper
bags marked "Recycle."
Unacceptable Items to place in your recycle cart:
Food scraps, food-soiled paper or boxes
Plastic bags
Plastic take-out containers
Plastic trays (bakery, meat, etc.)
Plastic cups, plates or utensils
Styrofoam containers or pellets
Prescription vials
Paper towels, plates or napkins
Disposable diapers or rags
Ceramics or dishes
Light bulbs
Mirrors or window glass
Lids or caps
greasy or sharp scrap metal
Needles or syringes
Toxic containers (antifreeze, oil, syringes, etc.)
Plastic Recycling
Why don't you accept all plastic items that have recycling arrows on them?
The number in the recycling arrows on plastic items generally identifies the type
of resin used in making the product. However, some items with the same number
cannot be recycled together because they are manufactured using a different heating
and molding process. (For example, we have markets for #1 plastic bottles, but not
for plastic cups with the same number.)
In addition, the cost of collecting, sorting and remanufacturing some items exceeds
the value of the recycled plastic. And so many plastic items cannot currently be
recycled.
Only plastic bottles, jugs and dairy tubs. To avoid confusion and contamination,
ignore the numbers and remember: Put only plastic bottles, jugs and dairy tubs in
your curbside recycling container. If it isn't a bottle, jug, or dairy tub, and it
can’t be reused, it goes in the garbage.
Clean plastic bags
can be reused and are accepted for recycling at many grocery
stores.
Clean styrofoam packing peanuts and bubble wrap
Are accepted for reuse at many mail houses. Call the Peanut Hotline, 1 800 828-2214,
for the nearest site or business that accepts clean leftover packing peanuts for reuse.
Computers and TVs
Computers, laptops, monitors, separated computer circuit boards and televisions
contain heavy metals. They cannot be disposed of as garbage and must be recycled.
You can also recycle many other electronic items, including computer peripherals
(mouse, keyboard, cables, printer, scanner, speakers, etc.), cell phones, hand-held
devices, photocopiers, fax machines, stereos, VCRs, and DVD players.
Fluorescent Bulbs and Tubes Require Special Disposal
Do not put them in the garbage.
Fluorescent tubes contain elemental mercury mixed with powder. Crushing tubes
creates mercury vapor that is difficult to contain. Keeping lamps intact prevents
mercury exposure. Fluorescent tubes are regulated as a federal and State of
Washington universal waste. Universal wastes must ultimately go to a recycler or
permitted treatment, storage, or disposal facility. Recyclers separate the tubes
into their component materials - glass, metal, phosphor powder and mercury - so
that these materials can be recycled or reused.
Why Recycle?
Using fluorescent lights saves money and reduces the amount of energy that needs to
be produced by power plants. However, they contain small amounts of mercury, so
they need to be recycled properly. Fluorescent lights are safe to use in your home,
and mercury is not released when in use. No products that contain mercury should be
put in the garbage. Please recycle these products properly.
Fluorescent bulbs and tubes are accepted at local hazardous waste facilities.
Buy Recycled Products
Before you buy, use or discard an item, ask yourself:
Reduce: Can I buy this product with less packaging?
Reuse: Can I or someone else use this again?
Recycle: Can I recycle this after I use it?
Buy Recycled: Can I get this item with recycled content?
Did You Know?
- One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television or computer
for 3 hours or a 100-watt light bulb for 20 hours.
- Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb
for 4 hours.
- Recycling a one-gallon plastic milk jug will save enough energy to keep a
100-watt bulb burning for 11 hours.
- Recycling one pound of steel conserves enough energy to light a 60-watt bulb
for 26 hours (5,450 BTU). (Approx. 7 cat food cans or 4 dog food cans = 1 lb.
[EPA])
- Recycling a one-foot high stack of newspapers saves 71.3 kilowatt hours of
electricity...enough to heat a home for 17 hours.
- Recycling a six-pack of recycled aluminum cans saves enough energy to drive a
car 5 miles.
Complete the Recycling Loop!
Recycling is a three-step process:
- Collecting recyclable materials;
- Remanufacturing them into new products; and
- Purchasing recycled products.
All three steps are required for recycling to be successful. By purchasing products
made with post-consumer recycled content materials, we strengthen the markets and
ensure that materials are fully recycled.