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Still confused about your curbside recycling pick-up day? Click on our interactive map and enter your address to find out your schedule.
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The Latest on Plastics!
With our new curbside recycling program in full swing, we want to make sure we're putting all the right items in our carts. When it comes to plastics, at this time we only accept plastics #1 and #2.
A great indicator that a plastic item is a #1 or #2 is if it has a screw-top lid such as water bottles, milk jugs, and detergent containers.
Remember that lids and labels can go in the carts. However, please remove pumps (from hand soap, lotions, shampoo, cleaners, etc.) Give the container a quick rinse to remove any food or product.
The good news is that more and more items are being made from recyclable plastics! This means you can sometimes recycle clamshell berry containers and clear to-go cups.
Before you toss it in the cart, always check the bottom of the container for a recycling triangle. If you see a 1 or a 2, you can toss it in the cart.
Putting the wrong plastics in your cart can contaminate the whole batch, so if you can't find the number, it's safest to put it in the trash. When in doubt, throw it out!
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Cart Assistance is Available
A 96-gallon cart may be difficult for some residents to maneuver. To ensure all residents can fully participate, Walk-Up Service is available. For those who are unable to bring their recycling cart to the curb because of a disability, physical limitation, or other need for assistance, please fill out the application below.
With Walk-Up Service, collection staff will retrieve the recycling cart from a designated location on the property that is visible from the street (not inside a garage or behind a home). The contents will be emptied into the collection truck and returned to the same location.
This service helps make curbside recycling accessible to residents who need additional assistance while allowing them to enjoy the same recycling opportunities as their neighbors.
Click on the link below to apply for Walk-Up Service.
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There has long been skepticism about recycling. The City has received comments from residents who are concerned that recyclable materials ultimately will be landfilled. With your help, recyclables will be recycled!
The City of Ames has a contract with a reputable materials recovery facility to take the curbside recycling materials and separate it for recycling. The City's costs increase if the material is contaminated. In rare instances, if materials are so contaminated they can't be separated, it may be landfilled.
The City's contract requires regular reports about the quality of recyclables and contamination levels. Here's where the products end up:
- Mixed paper and cardboard is transported to a facility to be processed into containerboard
- Glass is transported to a facility to be sorted by color, cleaned, and crushed into cullet, which is sent to manufacturers to be remelted into new bottles and jars, used by fiberglass insulation producers, or applied as aggregate in construction and infrastructure projects.
- Plastic is transported to a facility to be processed and molded into PET pellets
- Metal is transported to a facility to be melted and rolled into can sheet, or processed and re-alloyed into new steel products
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Thank you for reading.
INSIDE THE CART is a new newsletter designed to answer your recycling questions. The residential curbside recycling program will begin in July. For additional information contact the City of Ames at recycling@cityofames.org. Also, more information is available on our website at www.CityOfAmes.org/recycling.
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