 New Information About Recycling Services for Apartments and Businesses
Download flyers in English or Spanish to learn about new recycling services for apartments and businesses.
Business Recycling Flyer
English | Spanish
Apartment Recycling Flyer
English | Spanish
Brown Recycle Carts vs. Blue Recycle Carts
We have stopped purchasing blue recycle carts and now only supply the preferred brown color. When your blue recycling cart wears out or breaks, it will be replaced with a brown one. Many people feel the brighter blue color is not too attractive when left out on the street, which is why we ask everyone to please set the cart out only on the night before your scheduled pick up day, and wheel it out of sight as soon as possible after pick up.
It is our policy not to exchange a brown cart for an undamaged blue one because of the expense and waste of swapping them out simply because the blue color is considered less attractive. However, if your home provides you with no off-street or out-of-sight location to store your cart during the week, we will make the switch if you request it. Call our office at 457-9760.
What Can We Do With Plastic Bags?
We do not accept plastic bags in our recycle carts but many supermarkets offer convenient plastic bag recycling drop-boxes near their entrances. Simply collect your bags and take them to any supermarket with a drop-off site.
Better yet, don't use plastic bags at all! Instead, bring your own durable re-usable bags when you go shopping. See more tips about how you can reduce our plastic consumption by visiting our zero waste page.
Why Can't We Recycle Styrofoam?
Styrofoam, in the form of packing "peanuts"
or molded blocks, is not being collected for recycling
because it is not operationally or economically feasible
to do so. Styrofoam that is left at the curb and mixed with other recyclables
in the truck cannot be sorted out and separated at the
processing plant. (Imagine trying to sort out crushed
pieces of molded Styrofoam blocks and "peanuts"
from a load of cans, bottles and paper by hand!)
Even if Styrofoam was collected separately, it does not have
sufficient value to cover the expense of transporting
loads of it from the street to a processing plant and
on to another facility that would actually make new Styrofoam
out of the old.
But here's the good news: many local packing stores are willing to take bags of "peanuts"
for reuse. Unfortunately, we are not aware of any one who is willing or able to
take molded blocks. These should be thrown into the garbage.
For more information about recycling just about anything
that is possible to recycle or reuse in Marin, see the
Marin County Recycling Guide insert in the yellow pages
of the latest SBC Marin County phone book. |
