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Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) is launching the Feet on the Street recycling campaign to educate residents about what items to keep out of their recycling containers, especially plastic bags, films and wraps. Over the next two months, DPW sanitation workers will check and tag recycling containers in neighborhoods where collection crews have observed high contamination.
When collection crews observe something in a recycling cart that does not belong, an “Oops” tag will be placed on the container. The informational “Oops” tag will give residents instant feedback, reminding them to keep out plastic bags, food-covered items, paper towels/napkins, carry out containers, and tanglers (i.e., garden hoses, wires, electrical cords). Plastic-bagged recyclables account for most of the City's recycling contaminants.
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Residents are often confused about which materials to place in their recycling containers and how to prepare recyclables for collection.
As a result, the City’s residential curbside recycling has an average contamination rate of 14%, with plastic bags and bagged materials being some of the largest contributors to the contamination rate.
Recycling in Baltimore City is easy as 1,2,3! Did you know you can place recyclables such as cardboard, paper, bottles, cans, and jars right into your recycling cart?
However, placing those recyclables in plastic bags is considered contamination. So, help us reach less waste and a better Baltimore by keeping plastic bags out of your recycling!
Visit our Recycle Right tool for more information.
Visit our website to download the Recycling Guide,
Place clean and empty recyclables in the cart
Leave recyclables loose in the cart. Do not bag items
Empty and flatten cardboard boxes.
KEEP OUT: Plastic bags, clothing, tanglers (cables & cords), electronics & batteries.
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After a competitive process with numerous cities across the nation, DPW and the Baltimore Office of Sustainability are pleased to announce that the City has been awarded a $15,000 grant by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Last October, DPW and the Baltimore Office of Sustainability collaborated to submit a proposal titled “Healthy Roots & Community Connections” for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) 2022 Childhood Obesity Prevention/Environmental Health & Sustainability Awards program. This proposal earned the City a third place award in the large city category.
The Healthy Roots & Community Connections project will expand upon the work of the City’s GROW Centers, Food Matters Program, Outdoor Learning, and the Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge programs and create a new outreach initiative aimed at improving youth and community health and resilience in the matters of healthy food access and food waste reduction.
More information on the U.S. Conference of Mayors can be found here.
Bi-Weekly Recycling collections are underway. DPW shifted to bi-weekly recycling collections to bring stability and predictability to recycling routes impacted by delays due to staffing challenges caused by COVID-19.
On January 18, DPW began Bi-Weekly Recycling Collections, picking up recycling every other week, using an alternating A and B cycle system for curbside collection services:
Northeast and Northwest neighborhoods will be on Week A of the alternating schedule.
Southeast and Southwest neighborhoods will be on Week B of the alternating schedule.
Your recycling collection day does NOT change under Bi-Weekly Recycling Collections.
To help navigate the recycling modifications, residents can visit DPW’s new online map that shows their recycling day and whether the address is on the A or B cycle.
Each Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., WIN Waste will staff and operate several recycling drop-off centers in neighborhoods not receiving curbside service.
Bi-Weekly Recycling Collections , Drop-off Site Information on the DPW Website
Baltimore City residents are invited to shred up to two 32-gallon bags of sensitive paper documents at DPW Shred Events. Once shredded, the documents will be taken directly to a recycling facility. The first paper shredding event will be held Saturday, April 2 at Middle Branch Park from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
This event will also host a GROW Center Pop-Up with FREE trees, mulch, and reusable shopping bags.
Learn more about DPW GROW Centers and Workshops: on the DPW website.
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DPW's 2022 Calendars are arriving in City mailboxes! The 2022 DPW Calendar provides a wealth of important information — dates and times for scheduled DPW services, holiday closures, and upcoming events. The calendar includes a list of helpful numbers and information on how to join DPW's efforts for a clean city. Also included are dates, locations for Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Days, shredding events and so much more.
Residents should keep the calendar handy all year to plan ahead for DPW events and services. The calendar is free. City residents who have not received a calendar within the next coming weeks can request one by calling 311.
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