Recycling

Contact Us

Click here for a printable poster with single stream recycling information  

Recycling in the City of College Park has come a long way. Since introducing single stream recycling to the City in 2008, we have recycled over 3,000 tons of materials through curbside pickup and over 60 tons of electronics. Recycling (including single stream, electronics and yard waste) in college park can account for up to 40% of the solid waste collected – which is good, but there is always room for improvement. For example, the Maryland Department of Transportation boasts a 44% recycling rate, the state of Florida has set a goal of 75% recycling by 2020, and the city of Boulder, Colorado has committed to being a Zero Waste community.

There are many ways that you can do your part to help save energy and reduce the volume of material going to landfill by recycling your paper, bottles, cans, and many other materials. In addition to curbside recycling, you can also recycle many other materials through requesting special pickups, dropoff at the city’s Public Works facility, or contacting organizations that re-use household goods, building materials, and more. See below for information on ways you can recycle in College Park.

Curbside Single-Stream Recycling

Other City Recycling (special pickup or dropoff at Public Works)

Recyclable Items Collected by Other Organizations

Recycling at Your Event

Why Recycle?

The Obvious…

• Recycling saves money in tipping fees, saving money for the taxpayers, and conserves energy, natural resources, and space at the landfill.

The Not So Obvious… did you know that:

• Every day, Maryland homes and businesses produce 41 million pounds of solid waste – enough to fill Ravens Stadium 3 times! (MD Department of the Environment)
• Each person uses approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products each year. (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality)
• Every ton of paper recycled saves more than 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. (American Forest & Paper Association), which can also save the energy equivalent of 185 gallons of gasoline (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – EPA).
• Recycling aluminum saves almost 95% of the energy needed to produce aluminum from its original source. (The Aluminum Association), and one recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to operate a TV for 3 hours. (Can Manufacturers Institute)
• Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 60-watt bulb for four hours, a computer for 30 minutes or a television for 20 minutes. (Glass Packaging Institute)
• During 2007 in the U.S., 2.25 million tons of TVs, cell phones and computer products were discarded, but only 18% (414,000 tons) was collected for recycling; the rest was disposed of, primarily in landfills. (EPA)
• Recycling 1 million desktop computers prevents the release of greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of over 17,000 passenger cars, and recycling 1 million cell phones saves enough energy to power more than 19,000 US households with electricity for an entire year. (EPA)

Curbside Single Stream Recycling – New Items Accepted!

The City of College Park has a curbside single stream recycling program. Blue recycling carts are provided at no cost to City residents who receive City refuse collection service. Single stream recycling means that your recyclable paper, plastic, metal, and glass items may all be combined in your blue recycling cart; paper no longer needs to be separated.

Recyclables should not be placed in refuse carts. Refuse carts containing recyclable material and recycling carts containing refuse will not be collected.

Here is a quick reference chart to what should and should not be placed in your blue recycling cart (new items bold). A recycling poster is available at the top of the page. Click here to download a chart, compiled by the Committee for a Better Environment (CBE), on what the City does and does not recycle.

Glass jars and bottles for food and beverage items– clear, green and brown Examples: beverage bottles, jars for jam, olives, pasta sauce, etc.	GLASS	Blue glass Baking and cooking dishes Ceramics and drinking glasses Mirror glass Window glass
Aluminum cans Steel/tin cans (soup, pet food, etc) NEW! Aluminum foil and Single-use aluminum baking pans	METAL	Aerosol cans (paint, bug spray) Gasoline, oil, herbicide, pesticide cans Loose metal – clothes hangers, hardware, metal straps, paper clips, etc. Pots and pans, Utensils
Advertisements, Catalogues Copy and computer paper Colored paper, Cardstock, Corrugated cardboard,  Envelopes, Mail, Gift wrap (non-metallic) Magazines, Newspaper, Paperboard (cereal/shoe boxes, - remove inner bags) NEW! Aseptic and gable-top containers (juice & milk cartons), Frozen food boxes Shredded paper (must be in a tied bag)	PAPER	Carbon copy & thermal fax paper Laminated paper Loose shredded paper (must be tied in a bag) Metallic gift wrap Paper plates and cups Paper towels and napkins Photographs Tissues Wax paper, food wrapping
Narrow and wide-neck food and drink containers with a triangle and #1-7 (drink bottles, milk, margarine, yogurt, sour cream) Rigid plastics, including: Buckets, crates and totes Drinking cups Plastic flower pots (with #1-7) Plastic lawn furniture and coolers Playground equipment and toys NEW! Plastic bags and cling film (must be contained in one tightly tied bag!)	PLASTIC	Bubble wrap Chip bags, candy wrappers, etc. Cutlery and utensils Foam cups, plates and takeout containers Foam packing and peanuts Hazardous containers (herbicides, pesticides) Hinged/clamshell containers (ex: containers from salad bars, fruit, software, electronics) Loose cling wrap Loose plastic bags Motor oil bottles Six-pack rings

Labels, lids, bottle caps, and rings are acceptable. They may be kept on the original container or placed separately in the recycling cart.

Other items that do not belong in your recycling cart include:

Please visit the Refuse page for disposal information. Other recycling or reuse opportunities may exist for some of these items. Read below, call 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov for more information and recycling resources.

Recycling Tips – Please:

• Empty bottles and containers and rinse your recyclables – the cleaner your recyclables are, the fewer problems with odor, insects and pests you will have, AND the better quality recyclables we will provide to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
• Throw out items with high food contamination (like that really greasy pizza box from the weekend), and NEVER include containers for hazardous materials such as motor oil, as these types of items can ruin an entire load of recycling, causing it all to go to the landfill.
• Recycling carts and containers must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. and removed by midnight on collection day.
• Leave 3-4 feet between refuse and recycling carts at the curb.
  

What Happens to My Recycling?

Recycling collected by the City of College Park Department of Public Works is taken to Waste Management Recycle America, located in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Click here to see a video from Waste Management about how single stream recycling is sorted at their facilities.

Special Pickups of Recyclable Materials

These items below are recyclable but should not be included in your recycling cart. Special collections are made on Thursdays and Fridays by appointment; please call Public Works at 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov to request a special pickup.

• Yard Waste. Includes leaves, grass clippings, flowers, weeds, hedge trimmings, and similar vegetative (non-woody) organic materials. During fall leaf collection season, leaves should be raked to the curb during posted collection times. At other times of the year, yard waste must be placed in paper yard waste bags or approved reusable containers and will be collected on your normal refuse and recycling day. Please visit the Public Works Seasonal Activities page for information regarding curbside leaf and grass collection. Also visit the Committee for a Better Environment (CBE) webpage to download two brochures: “Composting in 4 Easy Steps” and “Grass Clippings...Let ‘Em Lay!” to learn about ways you can recycle your yard waste in your own yard.
  
• Brush & Logs. Includes bamboo, branches, shrubs, trees, and live holiday trees and wreaths. Bundle items and tie with rope or string (do not use wire or put in plastic bags). Items must be less than 5 feet long & weigh less than 75 pounds. Call or email Public Works to schedule a special pickup.
• Scrap Metal. Includes metal filing cabinets, chain link fences, metal pipes, metal clothes hangers, automobile parts, metal desks and chairs, wiring etc. Call or email Public Works to schedule a special pickup.
• Electronics. Includes TVs, computers, DVD players, VCRs, camcorders, printers, scanners, keyboards, cell phones, telephones, PDAs, stereos, CD players, radios, electric tools, and electronic game devices. Call or email Public Works to schedule a special pickup.
• Tires. Always a $4 collection fee per tire. Call or email Public Works to schedule a special pickup.
• White goods. Includes large appliances such as stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, and water heaters. Most items are collected at no charge, but there may be a fee for appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and heat pumps, which contain Freon or other toxins. Call or email Public Works to schedule a special pickup.

These items may also be dropped off at the Public Works facility (9217 51st Avenue) during announced Saturdays in spring and fall only (proof of City residency is required).

Used Motor Oil

Used motor oil is recyclable but must not be placed in your blue recycling cart. A receptacle for used motor oil is available year-round to City residents at the Public Works facility (9217 51st Avenue). Please deposit used motor oil in accordance with directions posted at the site.

Other Recycling Options

Recycling At Your Event

Hosting a special event or function in the City of College Park? Public Works will loan blue recycling carts to groups interested in recycling at special events (picnics, fairs, celebrations, etc).

These carts are for easy single-stream recycling of plastics (1-7 in triangle on bottom of containers and bottles), aluminum and metal cans, glass containers, and paper. Please refer to the single stream recycling chart or download the recycling poster for the list of items to include or leave out of the blue recycling carts.

We will work with you to coordinate collection and drop-off of the containers and recyclables following your event. Please contact Public Works at 240-487-3590 if you are interested in borrowing recycling carts, or if you have any questions.