The new green recycling cart holds 65 gallons but its footprint is about the same as the old 26 gallon bins. They are easier to transport to the curb since they have wheels. A limited number of small recycling bins for in-home use are currently available at the Office of Sustainability. (Courtesy photo)Silver City, NM - Beginning Monday Feb. 27 the Town of Silver City will begin delivering new green recycling curbside carts to all residents who currently recycle. The new 65-gallon carts will replace all the old smaller recycling bins. They have about the same footprint so they will not take up much more space. The carts have wheels so they will be easier to take to the curbside. The carts are designed to be automatically picked-up with a side-loading truck dedicated for recycling.
Distribution will be on your normal recycling day between February 27 and March 10. If you do not get a cart or would like to begin recycling using the carts, call Public Works at 388-4640 to request a cart. The curbside recycling program is free to all Town of Silver City residents and businesses that have a utility account for garbage service. Collection of recycling using the new green carts will begin March 13th. You should stop using the old bins then.
Residents are already familiar with using similar carts for trash. Just roll them out to curbside on collection day by 7:30 AM and be sure to leave at least three feet on either side of the cart for the truck to pick them up. Using side-loading trucks dedicated to recycling will make for a much more efficient system and eliminate the labor intensive and physically demanding collection process required for the old bins.
The lids of the new carts include a graphic representation of what can be recycled, and the printed instructions that will come with the carts also can be posted on your refrigerator to remind you. Both also have a QR code symbol that when scanned with your smartphone will take you to the Town of Silver City website with information about recycling. For additional information about recycling and to find out where to recycle things that don't go in the cart contact the Office of Sustainability at 575-519-8987.
There is no change in the items that can be recycled. All types of paper such as newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cereal boxes and phone books can be recycled. Cardboard is recyclable but boxes should be broken down to fit in the cart. Because of the grease, pizza boxes should not be placed in the carts but in your trash. Plastics with a recycling symbol and number on them can also be tossed in the cart. Aluminum and tin cans are acceptable but food residue should be rinsed out. Cartons such as milk, juice, soup and beverage containers can also be tossed in the cart to be recycled. Food scraps and liquids should not go into the cart.
There is no need to sort what you put in your cart -- just toss it in loose. Do not put your items in plastic bags. It is impossible to tell if bags contain recycling or trash. Also it makes more work to open the bags to sort the contents when they get to the processing center in Tucson. Plastic bags and plastic films from packaging should be recycled at Albertson's, Food Basket, or WalMart.
You can continue to use the recycling bin to hold your recycling before putting it in the cart. They can also be repurposed for other things. If you do not have a need for the old bins you can drop them off at the Office of Sustainability, 1106 N. Pope St., Monday through Thursday. You can also exchange them for a smaller 6-gallon bin perfect for indoor use.
Most downtown businesses will not get carts and Southwest Solid Waste Authority will continue to have their recycling picked up using the bins they now have since it is difficult to access downtown locations.
If you do not get a new green curbside recycling cart and would like one or if you have problems with collection call Public Works at 388-4640.