What You Need To Know About Garbage And Recycling In Your New City

Curbside recycling is standard practice in most cities and towns across America. If you are currently moving or have just completed your move to a new city, here is what you need to know about garbage and recycling practices in your new location.

Contact the City's Refuse Collection Department

You can do this one of two ways: either contact the department by phone or go online to your new city's website and look for garbage collection and recycling information. Ask about or find your street address. The person on the phone or the map online will tell/show you what "zone" you are in, which then tells you what day your curbside recycling and garbage pick-up days are. There may be more than one, depending on the city's own policies.

Some Cities Only Recycle Every Other Week

Some cities recycle only every other week. This may put a crimp in how you manage your garbage and recycling, especially if you have a large family that eats a lot of store-bought food. If your new city offers garbage and recycling bins of various sizes, be sure to select the largest size you can get to accommodate for fluctuations in overflow. You will especially want the large bins to handle the extra recycling post-holiday season.

Check City Policies on Recycling Large or Potentially Hazardous Items

At one time, you could put broken refrigerators, broken microwaves, and broken window air conditioners curbside with a special ticket. Many cities have done away with this practice, requiring you to take these items directly to the dump yourself and pay a fee to unload them. There are lots of other products that many cities will not allow you to leave curbside anymore, including everything from car oil and latex paint to old furniture and toilets. If you are not sure that your new city allows large item or potentially hazardous item disposal via curbside pick-up, you will need to look that up online as well. 

When Your Recycling Day Falls on a Holiday

For cities that have separate and atypical pickup days for recycling and garbage, it helps to know what happens when your assigned days fall on a holiday. Everyone knows that garbage will not be picked up on certain holidays, but what about recycling? That depends on the city. For the most part, you will probably not place recycling curbside for pickup on a holiday and have to wait until the next assigned day in a week or two. 

For more information, contact a company like Industrial Services Inc today.

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