Participating in curbside recycling

Participation in curbside recycling is easy. Following these steps is all you need to do:

1. Locate your regular trash collection day and ask Residential Services (see further information section for phone number) about the pick-up schedule.
2. Mark the recycling days in your calendar.
3. Collect the recyclables listed below, following the guidelines there.
4. Secure materials and place curbside or edge of roadway in paper grocery bags or cardboard boxes on recycling day.

What can be recycled and how to prepare it

Glass bottles and jars

• Separate by color
• Empty and rinse out
• Remove and discard lids
• Don't break glass, don't add broken glassm light bulbs, windows, mirrors

Tin food and beverage cans

• Empty and rinse out
• Remove and drop lid inside can
• Flatten cans so save space
• Don't add cans used for paint, chemicals, or aerosols.

Aluminium beverage cans

• Empty contents
• Flatten cans to save space
• No aluminium foil, pans or scrap metal

Newspapers

• Keep paper flat and dry
• Include ads and inserts delivered with the paper
• Remove plastuc wraps
• Don't bundle, don't include phone books, magazines, junk mail, catalogs or office paper

Storing recycleables

Use some space in your basement or shed to keep recyclables until recycling day. Place some cardboard boxes to collect bottles, cans, plastic and paper. It doesn't consume much space. Depending on your throughput on bottles, cans and newspapers, some medium-sized boxes should be enough.
The picture to the left shows a corner of the author's shed with his collection boxes for bottles, cans, plastic and paper. Click on the image to see an enlargement of it.
Using seperate boxes for beverage cans and other cans (and for different kinds of bottles as well) has the advantage that you just have to pick up a box filled with cans or bottles when you go to a grocery store to get the deposit you paid for them. If you regulary go to one of the grocery stores with recycling bins (see further information section for locations), you can take full boxes with you and insert the contents into the recycling bins.
If you're worried about liquids that might mess up your car when you return containers, just place a trash bag in your boxes before you put bottles or cans into them.