Recycling No-Nos: Plastic Bags, Carts, and Collection Times

Everyday life has changed over the last six weeks but requirements of what does and what doesn’t go in your recycling cart hasn’t.

In recent weeks, a variety of materials have been seen in recycling carts that basically contaminate the good recyclables.

This plastic bag will keep the cart on the curb ~ Republic WILL NOT pick up recycle materials in a plastic bag

The number one contaminant at the sorting facility is plastic bags. This includes recyclables in plastic bags, large clear plastic bags that an online purchase came in, and the air pillows commonly found in Amazon boxes.

If you do put recycling items in a plastic bag, the items won’t be recycled. The sorting facility in Billerica will pull the bag from the pile and treat it as trash. You can collect recycling in plastic bags in your home but empty the bag in the recycling cart and either reuse the bag for recycling or trash, or discard the bag.

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As for other plastic film items like bags, air pillows, bread bags, beverage case wraps, and similar products, they may be able to be recycled but not in your recycling cart.

“Normally, you could recycle plastic bags at grocery or department stores,” said Ed McGrath, Bedford’s Recycling Coordinator. “If the grocery store you frequent isn’t collecting these plastic bags these days, then you should throw them in the trash or save them at home until they accept them again.”

Sorry, but Styrofoam is NOT RECYCLABLE in Bedford’s program ~ And, residents are discouraged from overfilling their trash or recycling carts

Other contaminants seen in recycling carts around Bedford are chip bags, Styrofoam, and cat litter pails.

Packaging for potato chips, pretzels, and the like belong in the trash. Some bags look like aluminum foil on the inside but they are not recyclable. In fact, what happens at the sorting plant is they go through the process and wind up mixed in with paper, contaminating the paper bales.

Styrofoam belongs in the trash even though it may have a recycling symbol on it. Recycling Styrofoam is a completely different process and costly. In Bedford, Styrofoam is not part of the recycling program.

As for plastic pails, they are considered to be rigid plastic and are not included in the curbside recycling program. A rule of thumb you can use to determine if a container should go in your recycling cart is the size of the container. If it is less than 2.5 gallons, put it in the cart. If it’s a larger pail, find a reuse for it or put it in the trash.

About Carts and Collection Times

One thing that has changed is the amount of traffic on the road and that has made it easier for Republic Services trucks to get into town and complete their routes. This is why it’s important to have your trash cart and recycling cart at the curb by 7 am.

“Before March, Republic’s trucks may have collected on your street later in the morning,” said McGrath. “With less traffic, the trucks are likely to get to a neighborhood earlier in the day. So, to ensure your trash and recycling cart gets emptied on Monday, you should put your carts out at 7 am.”

McGrath added that Republic’s drivers have reported that they can’t get to the carts because a car is parked in front of the carts or there are other obstructions.

“There should be a couple of feet between the carts and any other objects like mailboxes and lampposts,” said McGrath. “If Republic can’t get to a cart, you run the risk your trash or recycling won’t be collected that day.”

Residents should place the carts at the curb with the serial number facing the street and wheels facing the house.

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