Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, along with Director of Sustainability David Carroll and Charles Reighart, Recycling and Waste Prevention Manager, announced that single stream recycling collection will begin in Baltimore County on February 1, 2010.
All 234,000 single-family homes and town homes are included in this program. The 6,000 apartment and condominium units that currently have recycling collection will also be included in this program. "This is a major environmental initiative for Baltimore County," says Smith. "Allowing individuals to combine all their recyclable items in the same container at one time will make recycling very easy for County residents, and when you make it easier to recycle, people will recycle more."
As the County moves forward with its single stream recycling collection program for these 240,000 homes, Bureau of Solid Waste Management staff will also be working to bring 63,000 apartment and condominium units without recycling collection into the program. "It is our intention to have every apartment and condominium complex in Baltimore County provide their residents with the opportunity to recycle," says David Carroll, Baltimore County Director of Sustainability. "Single stream recycling is the latest in a series of initiatives in Baltimore County designed to protect our resources."
Single stream recycling collection means that paper, bottles, and cans may be combined in the same container to be placed out for collection each week. Additionally, residents will be able to recycle more items than before, including:
- narrow-neck plastic bottles and jugs with a number from 1 to 7 in the recycling symbol
- wide-mouth plastic containers (such as butter and yogurt containers)
- rigid plastics (such as buckets, drinking cups, and flower pots)
- empty aerosol cans
- aluminum foil and pie pans
- milk and juice cartons/boxes.
In an effort to make it very easy for residents to recycle, they will be able to use a wide variety of containers to place single stream recyclables out for collection, including:
- recycling containers up to a 34-gallon capacity
- any trash containers up to 34-gallon capacity used only for recycling and marked with a large "X" or "RECYCLE"
- small cardboard boxes (the boxes will be collected with recycled items set out for pickup).
County Executive Smith stressed that it is important for residents to remember that recyclables must not be placed in plastic bags of any type or color in this new program. "Plastic bags create problems for the single stream sorting equipment," he says. "Our solid waste management team will work hard to educate everyone to use containers instead of plastic bags." Many local food stores accept clean and dry plastic bags for recycling.
Baltimore County residences will receive an updated 4-year trash and recycling collection schedule/program guide in the mail shortly before the start of the new single stream recycling program on February 1, 2010. Residents are urged to read, retain, and post their new collection schedule/program guide.
For more information about Baltimore County's transition to single stream recycling collection, residents may call the Bureau of Solid Waste Management at 410-887-2000 or visit www.bcrecycles.com starting Monday, December 14.
Source: Baltimore County Development Corporation
Writer: Walaika Haskins