WALLA WALLA 2020 RECYCLING
Take Pride - Curbside Recycling at Your Doorstep
Celebrate Curbside Recycling
Since May 1, 1997 ,
residents of the City of Walla Walla
To celebrate curbside's immediate success and
help you continue to contribute to its future success, we have compiled a list
of the most commonly asked questions along with their answers.
Curbside Recyclables and
Preparation
Items Not Presently Accepted at
Curbside
Curbside Recyclables and Preparation
Q--What household items can I recycle at my curbside?
A--Aluminum cans and tin cans; mixed paper (white or colored paper,
catalogs, magazines, newspapers, and telephone books); cardboard; milk and
juice cartons; and ALL NUMBERED plastics (see number in triangle on bottom of
container) except STYROFOAM.
Q--Do I have to flatten the aluminum cans?
A--No. However, they can be flattened. Important is that
the aluminum cans are empty and, if possible, placed in the bottom of the
container under other recyclables to prevent theft.
Q--Can aluminum food containers, especially pet food containers, be put
in the recycling containers along with the aluminum pop cans?
A--All aluminum cans are being collected as long as they are relatively
clean. Aluminum foil and other (non-can) types of aluminum are presently being
collected at curbside.
Q--Can I recycle anything that is glass in my curbside container?
A--No. Glass CANNOT be recycled in curbside
containers. However, clean jars and
bottles that are clear, brown, or green can be recycled at several drop box
locations. Light bulbs, window glass, and broken glass cannot be accepted. The drop box locations are:
·
City Service Center, 55 Moore Street at the end of the cul-de-sac on
Moore Street
·
Sudbury Road Landfill, near the scale house
·
Fire Station No. 1,
·
Fire Station No. 2,
·
Q--Since recyclables have to be clean, how do I support water
conservation efforts? Isn't this a waste of water?
A--Major washing is not necessary. A light rinse to remove food is
enough, which can be done with water used for other purposes such as dish water
before you drain it out. Remember, recycling saves water and energy and reduces
pollution in the manufacturing process. To really conserve, you might consider
purchasing durable goods which can continually be reused instead of
recyclables/disposables.
Q--Should I bag or bind my magazines and newspapers?
A--No. Set them in the container loose, flat, and uncontaminated
by any debris.
Q-- How do I know what a "Numbered plastic" is?
A--On the bottom of each plastic container, there is a number in a
triangle. If the plastic does not have such a number, then you cannot set it
out for curbside recycling. This applies to styrofoam as well.
Q--What do we do with our mail? They often only have print on one side.
Can we mix it with our newspaper?
A-- Yes, office paper of all types is collected. For junk mail printed
only on one side, use the other side for scratch paper. Best is to reduce junk
mail, by writing to "Mail Preference Service, Direct Mailing Association,
PO Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008" to request that your name be
removed from advertising mailings.
Q--Do I have to sort my recyclables?
A--No. All items being collected should be placed in the
one container.
Q--I have sorted all of my recyclables and tied them
neatly in plastic shopping bags. Why hasn't the recycling crew picked them up?
A—The crew only picks up materials in the containers or placed on
top of the container in paper or plastic bags. All recyclables need to be placed
loosely in the recycling container
Q-- Although I know what is being collected, sometimes I have items that
may or may not fall under one of the acceptable categories. How can I tell for
sure whether something is acceptable?
A--Call the Curbside Recycling Hotline at 527-4423. Should you occasionally make a mistake, the city will leave a note to let you know when an
item cannot presently be collected.
Q--Why did I receive only one recycling container? Shouldn't there be a
container for each recyclable commodity?
A-- One container means less work for residents and the city, and one
container is sufficient to hold the weekly recyclables of most residents.
Q--What
if the container is not large enough for all my recyclables?
A--The
recycling containers have a 16-gallon capacity. Other cities have found even
smaller containers suffice with weekly pick up. If more space is needed because
of a stockpile you have collected, fill your container full for the few weeks
it takes to deplete your stockpile.
Q--My recyclables would not all fit in my recycling container this week
so I stacked them neatly beside the container at the curb, but they were not
picked up.
A-- Recyclables must fit in your container. Extra recyclables can be in
a cardboard box that will also be collec
Q-- I find the container is too heavy for me to take to the curbside.
How are elderly and disabled folks going to get their material to the curb?
A-- Recycling bin carts with wheels or dollies are available on the
Internet. Call 524-2626 if
you need help locating such a dolly.
Q-- What if it is raining, snowing, or windy when I set my recycling
container at the curbside? Shouldn't the containers have lids?
A-- When the weather is bad, lids help keep the recyclables dry and from
blowing away. However, lids are extra work for the collector. For those days
when the weather is bad, please place a board or garbage can lid on top of your
recyclables or cover them with one sheet of newspaper and weight the newspaper
down with any recyclable bottles you have.
Q-- I live in a very small apartment with no space to store the
recycling container.
A-- You might find that the recycling container takes the place of one
of your trash cans because you are separating recyclables that formerly went in
the trash can. If that is not the case, are any common areas available in the
building where you could store the recycling container?
Q-- There is not enough common area to store one recycling container for
each apartment in my building.
A-- Investigate two or three of you sharing one container. Would that
provide you sufficient space for your recyclables?
Q- We are moving to another home in
A- No. The recycling container is like the trash container. It should
stay with the house. You should find a recycling container at the home you are
moving to. If not, call the Curbside Recycling Hotline at 527-4423.
Q--
Will the recyclables be picked up on the same day as my trash?
A--
Yes. However, the time of day will be different. The containers need to be at
the curbside before
Q-- Because I purchase products with low-to-no packaging, return as many
containers to the originator as possible, and use durable (as opposed to
disposable) products, I have very little to recycle or dispose of. Is it better
to put what little I have out each week or wait until my recycling container is
fairly full?
A-- Please wait until your container is fairly full to set it out. That
makes the best use of the city's time and, thereby, helps keep the recycling
fees low.
Q--I have noticed that when the city picks up my trash the mechanical
arm often knocks over the recycling container I have setting nearby. What can I
do to avoid this?
A--Please be sure to place your recycling container several feet away
from the trash container when setting them out.
Q-- Is the City of
A-- Yes. The
A-- The fee covers the cost
of the recycling service (driver's salary, truck maintenance, purchase of
recycling containers and other supplies, administrative costs) minus any money
the City may earn selling the recyclables.
Q-- Is the city making money on curbside recycling?
A—Not at the current time. The long-term goal is to avoid as much
material going to the landfill as possible since the cost of lining new
landfills is expensive. The
immediate goal is to collect enough money to provide the service and yet
provide economical rates to residents.
Q-- If I do not use the recycling service, do I still have to pay for
it?
A-- Yes. Curbside recycling is a mandatory service for all
Q-- I just moved here from a city where the trash pick up rate was
dependent on the amount of trash and there was no charge for curbside
recycling. Why don't we have variable trash rates in
A-- The City of
Q-- I do not understand why we have to recycle much less pay for it. Who started this any way?
A-- To help preserve our natural resources, the State of Washington
passed the "Waste Not Washington Act" in 1989 with the result that
urban areas (which Walla Walla is classified as)
require a curbside recycling system or one that collects a comparable amount of
recyclables. A study of
More recyclables were collected in the first week alone at the curbside
(39,000 pounds) than in a month at the Neighborhood Stations (22,000 pounds).
In addition, two surveys were conducted asking the citizens of
Items Not Presently Collected at
Curbside
Q--Why is the City not collecting styrofoam
or unnumbered plastics?
A--What can be recycled is determined by whether there is a market for it.
Presently, it is not economically feasible to transport the unnumbered plastics
and styrofoam to a market.
Q--Why are scrap metal and other potential recyclables not being collec
A--The commodities selected for collection are
those feasible to pick up at curbside and economical to recycle. At the present
time, recycling the above items does not meet those criteria. Should those
conditions change, these items could be added to the curbside recyclables. In
the meantime, take such items to your local recycling dealer. Walla Walla Recycling, Inc. (
Q--Can I recycle the waxed
(lightweight cardboard) milk cartons at the curbside?
A--No.
Are There Areas With No Curbside Service?
Q--Why don't renters and those who live in mobile home parks have
curbside recycling?
A-- The
Q--When will we have curbside recycling in the suburban area outside
A--Curbside recycling outside
Q--Can I still take my recyclables to a nearby Neighborhood Recycling
Station in the City of
A--No. The
previous stations within the city limits and the county have been removed.
Please do not leave any recyclables at former station locations. They are not being serviced and if you
abandon recyclables at unauthorized locations, it is considered littering and
subject to a fine. If you do not have curbside service, take your recyclables
either to Walla Walla Recycling, Inc. (
Q--If I have questions about or problems with
curbside recycling, whom should I contact?
A--For specific curbside recycling questions, call
the
Q--What
type of information do you need when I call the Curbside Hotline for special
assistance?
A--When
making hotline inquiries, it is always helpful if you provide your address and
phone number. This information will assist the recycling crew in pinpointing
curbside routing details and other service needs.
Q--Is information on curbside recycling available in Spanish?
A--Yes. Call the