Recycling - Bin Collection

General Information

1. Place your recycling bin at the curb no later than 5:00 am on your collection day!
2. Place your recycling bin within 5-6 feet of the roadway and at least 3 feet from your trash cart, placing it in a highly visible location.
3. Please do not place needles, tobacco products, diapers, broken glass, or other trash in with your recyclable materials.
4. Please remove all liquid, food residue, plastic linings, and lids from containers.
5. Labels do not have to be removed from recyclables.
6. Bundle or bag newspapers, flatten paperboard (ex. cereal, detergent, and tissue boxes) and junk mail (ex: catalogs, magazines & copy paper ) separately in paper grogery bags or reuseable bags from the Solid Waste and Recycling Division.
7. During inclement weather, please place your bagged paper recycling on top of other recyclables in your bin with the lid securely fastened.  We do ask that you keep all paper products and cardboard inside during inclement weather, saving them for your next collection day. 

Click here for a short video on how to prepare and sort your materials for curbside collection
Click here for a short video on what is accepted with our recycling program
Click here to see our solid waste and recycling brochure 

Steel Cans, Aluminum Cans and Glass bottles and jars (all colors)  

• Steel cans include any food or liquid container like soup cans, canned juice, coffee cans, etc.  Please place your steel lids inside the steel cans.
• Aluminum cans are typically used as beverage containers, please make sure all liquid is drained from these containers.  Please do not place foil in your recycling bin.
• Place all clean steel, aluminum and glass bottles and jars in your recycling bin.
• Glass containters only- No dishes, Pyrex, lighbulbs,or window glass (Please do not place broken containers into the bin).

Plastic Bottles Coded #1 and #2

The recycling program can only accept plastic bottles that are coded with a #1 or #2 inside the recycling triangle on the bottle.  Look at the bottom of the bottle or sometimes around the neck of the bottle to find the recycling triangle with the number (resin type).

#3 through #7 plastic bottles and containers can be brought to the 24 hour Community Recycling Drop Off at 1420 S. Happy Hollow Road.  #3 through #7 plastics are not collected through the curbside service at this time.

Bottles are made through a process called blow molded.  These bottles melt at different temperatures from other containers like trays, tubs, cups and bags.  Due to the diference in melting temperatures we must keep all non bottles out of our recycled bales if we want to sell the material.  Markets for other types of plastics are not as good as the #1 or #2 bottles.  Due to this reason we can only accept #1 or #2 plastic bottles.  A bottle is where the neck is smaller than the base.  Often times it has a screw type neck to hold a lid.

• Examples of #1 and #2 bottles we can recycle are: dishwashing liquid bottles, shampoo bottles, plastic soda bottles, water bottles, laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs.
• Please remove all plastic container lids as this helps to make sure the container contains no liquids.  Please make sure that no tobacco products are in any of your containers.
• Motor Oil containers are not recyclable in our program.  The oily residue left in the container is difficult to wash out and therefore a contaminate for recycling.  Please place used motor oil in these containers and take them to the Washington County Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 2615 Brink Dr. in south Fayetteville or call them at (479) 444-1725 for more information.  Please place empty used motor oil containers in the trash.

Mixed Paper

Mixed paper is comprised of various types of different paper items. Typically mixed paper consists of: catalogs, magazines, flyers, copy paper, telephone books, sweepstake entries and similar paper received through the mail.  If you are recycling mailings please make sure that plastic inserts are removed.

• Mixed paper should be placed in a paper grocery bag and/or in a separate bin.  The Solid Waste and Recycling Division also sells reusuable bags for recycling of mixed paper.  Please call the main office at (479) 575-8398 to find out how to get one of these bags.  There is a small one time fee for the purchase of the bags. 
• Telephone books and magazines are collected curbside; however, if you have large amounts (more than 1/2 of a grocery sack) of these items please bring them to our 24 Hour Community Recycling Drop-Off at 1420 S. Hollow Road to be recycled.
• During inclement weather, please make sure that your mixed paper is inside a recycling bin with the lid securely placed on the bin. Wet paper is not marketable.
• Shredded paper can be brought down to the Recycling Drop Off and placed in the mixed paper container.

Newspapers

Newspaper is easy to recycle but must be kept dry and out of the sunlight. Please make sure to remove any plastic wrapping or rubber bands before placing in the recycling bin.

• Newspaper should be placed in a paper grocery bag and/or in a separate bin.  The Solid Waste and Recycling Division also sells reusuable bags for the recycling of newspaper.  Please call the main office at (479) 575-8398 or e-mail here to find out how to get one of these bags.
• During inclement weather please make sure your newspaper is inside a recycling bin with the lid securely closed on the bin.  Wet newspaper is not marketable.
• Inserts that originally came with your newspaper may be recycled with the newspaper.
• Packing paper may be folded and placed in the same bag or container as newspaper.  Please bring large amounts to the 24 hour Community Recycling Drop-off located at 1420 S. Happy Hollow Road.

Paperboard

Paperboard, also called "chipboard", is used for packaging items like cereal, shoes, crackers, etc.

• Please remove all plastic liners before placing the materials out for recycling.
• Please breakdown and flatten all of your chipboard.
• Place chipboard in a seperate recycling bin or place it in a paper grocery sack for collection (ask for paper bags at your local grocery store ).

Corrugated Cardboard

Corrugated Cardboard is easy to recognize because it is thick and has a waffled middle layer for strength.

• Please flatten all cardboard and place it underneath your recycling bin (another heavy object may be used), so that the wind does not blow these materials around your neighborhood.
• Take large amounts of cardboard boxes to the 24 hour Community Recycling Drop-Off at 1420 S. Happy Hollow Road.  The recycling trucks do not have compaction for cardboard and large amounts fill up the truck prematurely.
• During inclement weather, please keep your cardboard recycling until your next collection day or bring it to our 24 Hour Community Recycling Drop-Off at 1420 S. Happy Hollow Road.
• Pizza boxes are recyclable, but please remove leftover food scraps from the boxes.