Resources
Recycling Facts
Recycling Tips and Tricks
Become a more efficient recycler.
The fastest and easiest way to sort your recycling is to have two or more blue boxes. Designate one box for your “mixed paper” and the other for your “mixed containers”. Corrugated cardboard is always bundled.
Looking to get more into your blue box? Try these simple things:
- Step on pop cans
- Deflate pop and water bottles and replace the lid
- Stand your paper products up on edge
- Buy in bulk
Wind Tips!
- Place your heavier materials on top of your blue boxes when wind is likely to be an issue.
- Put all your glass bottles and jars on top of your paper/fibres box, then put that box on top of your containers box.
- If you are concerned about high winds blowing your recycling out of your blue box, don’t put it out. Wait until your next collection if possible.
- Crush your cans and bottles down in your containers blue box, and your boxboard down in your paper/fibres box. This saves A LOT of space, and will reduce the possibility of material blowing out of your blue box on windy days. Stacking your papers upright in your papers blue box, also helps to stop wind-blown litter.
- Make sure your blue box is to your curb by 7AM on your collection day. Putting your recycling out the night before is fine, but if a large wind event is expected throughout the night, make sure you wait until the morning.
Winter Time Tips!
Place your blue box at the right side of your driveway (as you face the road). This will ensure that your recycling is noticed as the collection vehicle approaches your house.
Place your blue box on your driveway and not on top of the snow bank. Or, dig out a small space on the curb to set your blue boxes. Otherwise the blue boxes could fall off of the snow bank and spill all over the place! Its a tough job collecting recycling, even tougher when you’re soaking wet and cold.
If you use bags for your recycling (which, we can accept if it is all one type of material sorted into a clear bag) make sure it is visible. Sometimes these bags are covered in snow and if the driver can’t see it, then it won’t be collected. Especially if the snow plow comes by and covers the bag with snow! To avoid this, we suggesting using blue boxes, which are much more visible in the winter.
If it is going to be a windy storm, we suggest keeping your blue boxes inside until the morning or skipping a week if you can so the recycling doesn’t blow into the streets. As another option, you can drop off your recycling at our location at 270 West St. in Trenton from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday instead of setting it out at the curb.
