Important Tips on Recycling in Arlington in Honor of America Recycles Day
By Office of Communication
Posted on November 14, 2017, November 14, 2017

Wednesday, November 15 is America Recycles Day, a national initiative of Keep America Beautiful.

Arlington's most recent participation rate survey showed that 90 percent of Arlington households actively participate in curbside recycling and divert 23 percent of all residential household waste from the landfill by recycling. Last year, Arlington residents recycled over 24,000 tons through the curbside single-stream recycling program.

Through the single-stream program, Arlington residents may place an assortment of recyclable materials in their carts. These items include paper, aluminum cans, metal food cans, plastic bottles and jugs, aerosol cans, plastic grocery bags, corrugated cardboard, food boxes and cartons. For a complete list of what can and cannot be thrown into the curbside cart, please visit our recycling webpage.

Arlington residents can click here to take the America Recycles Day pledge.

Here are some important things to remember when recycling in Arlington:

  • Place your cart at least three feet away from any obstructions such as mailboxes, vehicles or trees.
  • When recycling plastic grocery bags, please place all loose bags into one bag and tie that bag shut. This helps to keep bags from floating away.
  • Do not contaminate your cart with non-recyclables such as coat hangers, batteries, electronics, ceramics Styrofoam and chip bags.
  • Please keep lids on plastic bottles. This makes it easier for the scanners to sort the bottles and lids at the recycling facility.
  • For the upcoming holidays, please remember no Christmas lights, tinsel, holiday decorations or wreaths in the recycling cart.
  • Please do not place organic materials such as grass, leaves or limbs in the recycle cart.
  • No household hazardous waste please. HHW should be taken straight to the Environmental Collection Center. The ECC is located at 6400 Bridge Street in Fort Worth.
  • Pharmaceuticals should be taken to one the bi-annual Drug Takeback events.

To recycle fall leaves, please utilize the city's Leaf recycling program. The program will start November 21, 2017, and run through February 21, 2018. During this time, Arlington residents are encouraged to drop their leaves off for recycling at one of four drop off sites. Alternatively, residents may attend one of two freemonthly backyard compost classes to learn how to recycle those leaves and other organics at home to create valuable compost.

Arlington residents may take their Christmas trees to the City of Arlington landfill or to the Calloway's on South Cooper Street for the two weeks after Christmas and drop them off to be recycled. Please make sure to remove all decorations and stands before placing them in the recycle containers. Christmas trees collected through this program are turned into mulch at the Arlington Landfill's mulching operation.

For further information or questions regarding our recycling program, please contact us at [email protected].

Recycling
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