Single Stream Recycling & Automated Pickup Starts Sept. 4

[Editor's note: This article was originally published on August 3. It has been corrected to reflect the new "Go Green" date of September 4.]

Each resident will receive two containers during the month of August. The blue one is for recycling; the brown one is for trash. Trash and recycling will only be picked-up in the approved containers provided. Do not put your name on the carts. The carts have been assigned to your address, not to you. The initial carts are being provided to you at no cost to improve the quality of your collection service by:

• Keeping papers, odors, refuse, etc., in the cart….the elements and animals out.
• Improving your community’s appearance.
• Provide a quiet, easy to handle container to store and move refuse.
• Offering a safe, convenient and effective way to handle household waste.

LOADING YOUR CART

To place trash or recycling in your cart, always lift the lid from the front. Be careful to not overload your cart in excess of your ability to safely maneuver it. Trash must be in plastic bags. Do not place the following in your cart: Paint, solvents, gasoline, soil, acids, oil, hot ashes, medical waste , exposed needles, sand, rocks.

PLACING YOUR CARTS FOR COLLECTION

Make sure the lid is closed. Then grab the handle and use the convenient “tilt and go” design feature (between the wheels at the rear of the cart), and tilt the cart back slightly. Now, safely and easily push or pull the cart. The cart is designed to withstand dragging, however, for easy use, tilt and roll. Don’t forget: always close the lid before moving, and on inclines pull the cart uphill and push the cart down hill. Put your cart out by 5:00 a.m. on your specified pick-up day and place it with the arrow facing the street (or pick-up point). Containers may be placed for collection in the evening preceding the day on which collections will be made, however no earlier than 6:00 p.m. or dusk, whichever is earlier. Always keep the lid closed. This will keep animals, rain, snow and ice out, refuse and odors in the cart. Do not place your carts within 3ft. of each other or any other obstructions such as mailboxes, utility poles, fire hydrants, and parked cars or under trees.

AFTER COLLECTION

Do not leave your cart at the curb or street. To help maintain the appearance of your neighborhood, remove your cart as soon after collection as possible. Carts must be removed no later than 16 hours after collections have been made. Your new cart is designed to be stored in your garage or other convenient location next to your home. Take care to not store your cart close to a furnace, fireplace, grill or other source of excessive heat.

ITEMS THAT CAN BE PUT INTO RECYCLING CONTAINER ARE:

• Glass - clear, green and brown glass bottles and jars.
• Plastic – food, beverage and other containers with the #1 - #7 in the triangle on the bottom. Hard plastics, toys, etc.
• Metal - tin and aluminum cans, aluminum foil, empty aerosol cans and hangers, pots/pans and small appliances.
• Aseptic Packaging - milk and juice cartons and juice boxes (with the straws removed).
• Paper - school and office paper, newspaper, magazines, paper egg cartons, paper bags, junk mail, telephone books, shredded paper (in paper bags only), paperback books and books with hard covers removed.
• Paper Board - gift boxes, cereal and cracker boxes (liner removed), pasta boxes, tissue boxes, shoe boxes, aluminum foil and saran wrap boxes and uncontaminated pizza boxes.
• Corrugated Cardboard - cut in pieces to fit into recycling cart.

ITEMS NOT TO INCLUDE IN RECYCLING: plastic bags, food waste, used paper plates, styrofoam, foam egg cartons, ice cream cartons, black plastic, medicine bottles, dishes, ceramics, sporting goods, electronics, CD cases, batteries, hazardous chemical containers, motor oil containers.

For more information, see the City of Shelton website.