Press Release 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2011

Contact information for press:

James Henrikson, Public Works Director
301-809-2336 or email jhenrikson@cityofbowie.org or

Beth Bell, Contract/Permit Specialist
Public Works Department
301-809-2339 or email bbell@cityofbowie.org

 

All Together Now! 
New Larger Recycling Carts Aim to Make Recycling Easier

In the next few weeks, residents in half of the City’s neighborhoods will begin seeing new, larger recycling carts in their neighborhoods.  These carts are on wheels and should make it easier for households to recycle more items. Single family homes will receive 65-gallon carts and townhomes will be given 35-gallon carts.  The carts are being delivered to homes at no cost to the homeowner and may be used immediately.

At more than $40 per cart, it’s an expensive proposition to supply carts to the 20,000 residences in the City. For this reason, the City Council decided to spread the cost of the project over two years.  As a result, half of the residences will receive carts this fall and the remainder will receive them in about a year.

Despite the initial outlay, the City expects the carts to save money in the long run. A pilot project conducted in seven neighborhoods in 2010, saw a 30% increase in the rate of recycling with the use of these carts.  Each ton of refuse that is recycled rather than put in a landfill saves approximately $56 and helps the environment. 

The aim of the program is to make it easier for residents to recycle more items and make it easier for them to get the items to the curb. Bowie implemented single stream recycling in 2008, allowing households to combine all of their recyclables together.  For many residents, this means they are regularly putting out several bins or containers of mixed recycling.  Now for those in Phase 1, one cart should be able to handle all of a household’s recycling for the week.

Residents are asked to put the carts out with the handle facing the street.  The carts can be lifted and dumped by a mechanical arm on the recycling trucks.  The carts should never be used for trash.

Items that can be recycled include glass bottles and jars, aluminum, tin and steel cans, all plastics, with the exception of plastic plates and utensils, and all types of paper and cardboard items including newspapers, magazines, books, junk mail, food boxes, office paper and file folders.  There are some things that can’t be recycled at curbside, such as Styrofoam, electronics, dishes, food, household hazardous waste, window glass, mirrors and motor oil containers. For more information about the City of Bowie’s Recycling Program and for the complete list of what’s accepted and what’s not, visit www.cityofbowie.org/recycling  or call 301-809-2344.

View the list of neighborhoods receiving the carts in 2011.
View Frequently Asked Questions about the new recycling carts.