12 Handy Tips on Recycling in Arlington in Honor of America Recycles Day 2019
By Jennifer Shaver, Garbage and Recycling Division
Posted on October 29, 2019, October 29, 2019

To recycle fall leaves, please utilize the City's Leaf recycling program. The program begins Nov. 21, 2019, and runs through Feb. 21, 2020. 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 free monthly backyard compost classes to learn how to recycle those leaves and other organics at home to create valuable compost.

Friday, November 15 is America Recycles Day, a national initiative of Keep America Beautiful. Take a look at some of Arlington's current recycling programs and upcoming fall events that serve to help encourage environmental stewardship in the Arlington community.

Last year, Arlington residents recycled more than 23,000 tons through the curbside single-stream recycling program with 90 percent of our residents participating in curbside recycling. Through the single-stream program, Arlington residents may place an assortment of recyclable materials in their carts. These items include papers, glass, cardboard, aluminum, plastics and more. For a complete list of what can and cannot be thrown into the curbside cart, please visit our recycling webpage.

As part of the regional Know What to Throw recycling campaign, the City of Arlington and other regional cities are working to standardize and simplify recycling cart messaging. Soon Arlington residents will notice a new recycling mold on new recycling carts and will receive a water bill insert in November talking about the simplified messaging and new cart lids. The program is also aiming to phase out plastic grocery bags and films from the curbside program. These types of films blow away easily and get tangled in sorting equipment and machinery at the Materials Recovery Facility. Pizza boxes will also be eliminated from curbside recycling collection as they continue to be contaminated with food waste, seasoning packets and grease.

Don't forget to place your cart at least three feet away from any obstructions such as mailboxes, vehicles or trees! Here are some other important things to remember when recycling in Arlington:

• Flatten all cardboard

• Omit plastic grocery bags and opt for reusable bags instead or take plastic bags back to the grocery store

• Omit pizza boxes. Grease, food residue, seasoning packets and other organics often contaminate the boxes.

• 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. Consider composting organics instead!

• No household hazardous waste please. HHW should be taken straight to the Environmental Collection Center. The ECC is located at 6400 Bridge St. in Fort Worth.

• Pharmaceuticals should be taken to one the bi-annual Drug Takeback events or to your local 24-hour Walgreen’s drop off kiosk.

Mark your calendars for the annual Computer Roundup on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 8 a.m. to noon at the UTA parking lot off Cooper Street and Doug Russell Road. Bring your old laptops, computers, cell phones and other household electronics for recycling. Please no televisions or large appliances.

To recycle fall leaves, please utilize the City's Leaf recycling program. The program begins Nov. 21, 2019, and runs through Feb. 21, 2020. 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 free monthly 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. This mulch is made available to Arlington residents, free of charge, in the spring (based on availability). Flocked trees are also accepted.

For further information or questions regarding our recycling program, please contact us at [email protected] or call the Action Center at 817-459-6777.

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