Apartments & Condos: Recycling for Managers
	> How Does it Work? ---What Can Be Recycled and How Should it Be Prepared? > What Capacity Do I Need? > Where Should I Place the Recycling? > How Much Does it Cost? > Getting Your Tenants and Residents to Recycle > Prevent Overflowing Containers from Moving Waste

Recycling in a multi-unit complex can be challenging. It requires the cooperation and participation of many different residents who may or may not be motivated to recycle. Even those who want to recycle may not understand what belongs in the recycling bin and what belongs in the trash. The key to a successful recycling program is to educate your residents on how the program works and keep on reminding them. City recycling personnel will help with all aspects of your recycling program from set up to education and maintenance. Request free information packets for your tenants on all aspects of recycling, greenwaste, what not to put in the trash, how to dispose of hazardous wastes, motor oil, and electronics by calling 564-5677 or download the brochures yourself.

Recycling service is provided by the waste hauler. The City is divided into two zones serviced by BFI and MarBorg. Multi-unit complexes south or west of State Street are serviced by BFI. MarBorg services complexes north and east of State. See the Trash and Recycling Service Providers Map to determine your hauler. Call your hauler to initiate or change trash, yard waste, or recycling services.

All different recyclable materials can be mixed in one container. Multi-unit residential complexes are entitled to up to 96 gallons of free recycling per week with their garbage service. This may be enough for 4 units or less. Additional paid recycling can be ordered in cans, carts, or dumpsters.

Can or Cart Service (smaller complexes)
The waste hauler will provide either 32 gallon cans or 32, 64 or 95 gallon carts for Mixed Recycling. Cans take up more room, but will be serviced from their daily location. Carts can store more material in a smaller space, but must be located where the truck can drive up to them. They have wheels and are easy to move, even when full. Cans or carts can be serviced from 1- 2 days per week.

95, 64, and 32 Gallon Carts 32 gallon cart = 1 can 64 gallon cart = 2 cans 95 gallon cart = 3 cans
		32 Gallon Can

Dumpster Service (larger complexes)
You can rent 1.5, 2, 3, or 4 cubic yard dumpsters from the waste hauler or provide your own. Mixed Recycling dumpsters can be emptied from 1 to 6 days per week. Older recycling dumpsters are white with a recycling symbol or sign on them.

What Can be Recycled and How Should it be Prepared?

This section only addresses conventional recycling such as paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and metal. For recycling of appliances, electronics, furniture, greenwaste, Christmas trees, wood, chemicals, and construction materials, hold your mouse over the menu options at the top of the page to see the sub menus for different types of materials, or click on the Houses, Apartments and Condos, or Businesses sections for a sub menu. For clothing, eyegalsses, food, styrofoam peanuts, bubblewrap, toner cartridges, and other items not listed, try the Reuse Directory.

Complexes with Dumpsters

Open the Mixed Recycling Guide for Dumpsters for a list of items. All recyclables can be mixed together in the container. Please do not place anything in bags. Dump your loose recycling in the container and either keep your plastic or paper bag or put it in the recycling dumpster. Please flatten cardboard boxes.

Complexes with Carts or Cans

Open the Mixed Recycling Guide for Carts/Cans for a list of items. All recyclables can be mixed together in the container. Please do not place anything in bags. Dump your loose recycling in the container and keep your bag, or put it in the recycling cart/can if it is paper. Plastic bags cannot be recycled in carts or cans. Please flatten cardboard boxes.

Contact Us to get posters showing what is recyclable that you can place in common areas, or download the recycling guides listed below. Some items that are not accepted recycling containers can be recycled or reused somewhere else. See Recycle More Stuff for places to take them. Plastic food or beverage containers must be rinsed and free of food or liquid. Removing lids and rinsing containers is recommended and makes them easier to recycle. It is not necessary to remove labels, rings, staples, paper clips or other items. Some types of heavy scrap metal that are not accepted in the recycling bins can be recycled by scrap metal dealers

What Capacity Do I Need?

Four Units and Less
Start with the free 95 gallons of recycling and see how it goes. If the free recycling container is overloaded, request an additional paid container, and add more until there is no overflow. For each
recycling container that you add, remove a trash container of equal size.

More Than 4 Units
Typical multi-unit complexes with Mixed Recycling in carts or cans produce twice as much trash as recycling.

If you are currently not recycling and have carts or cans for trash that are picked up once per week, replace 1/4 of them with recycling cans/carts. You will end up with twice as many cans/carts for trash as for recycling. If this is not enough recycling, simpy replace trash cans/carts with recycling until capacity is met.

If your trash cans/carts are picked up twice per week, replace 1/4 of the trash cans/carts with twice as many recycling cans (recycling is only picked up once per week in cans/carts). You will end up with the same number of trash and recycling cans/carts.

Complexes with Mixed Recycling in dumpsters may be able to have equal trash and recycling if participation is high. If you have a dumpster for trash, get another of the same size for recycling. Start with emptying the trash dumpster twice as often as the recycling dumpster, and adjust the frequency as needed for both services. If your current trash dumpster is only emptied once per week, replace it with one half the size and get a another for recycling.

Contact Us if this all seems to complicated or doesn't quite work out, and we can work out a system for you.

People will tend to put materials in the most convenient container, so trash and recycling should ideally be located side by side. If you have two or more containers together, it should be easy to replace half of them with recycling. If there is room for only one container at the current site, it will be more difficult.
Some people may simply dump everything at the closest site. It would be best to expand the current site or find a way to put two smaller trash and recycling containers where the larger trash container sits currently. Contact Us for options.

Cans or Carts

or

The first 95 gallons of recycling are free. This can be either 1 large cart or three smaller cans. Additional recycling service in cans or carts costs less than trash. There is no rental charge for the recycling cans or carts.

Dumpsters

Additional recycling service in dumpsters costs 50% of the price of trash plus a monthly rental for the dumpster, unless you provide your own. The rental for a recycling dumpster half the cost of a trash dumpster.

Getting Your Tenants and Residents to Recycle

Start the education program before your recycling containers arrive. The City will provide introductory packets for each tenant that can be hung on door knobs. These include an introductory letter, a Mixed Recycling Guide for Dumpsters or a Mixed Recycling Guide for Carts/Cans, a Greenwaste Guide (if requested), a handout listing items that cannot be placed in the trash, where to bring hazardous waste, a Move-In Guide, and a Move-Out Guide. If you have turnover, request a few extra packets to keep for new tenants. The City can also provide poster size lists of what is recyclable to hang in laundry rooms or common areas. Call 564-5677 for packets or posters.

Prevent Overflowing Containers from Moving Waste

Moving In
When a tenant is moving in, give them both the Move-In Guide and the Move-Out Guide in case they need to get rid of some stuff that does not fit into their new home. Most of the moving in waste is recyclable boxes and packing paper, so you should discuss the recycling options at the complex with the tenant. If the recycling is in carts or cans, the cardboard boxes will not fit well and will probably overwhelm the recycling bins. You can get an extra pickup for recycling carts or cans, and you should call your hauler to see how they want you to store the extra boxes. If you have a recycling dumpster, you can call your waste hauler for an extra pickup which will be charged on your waste bill. You may want to require the tenant to take all boxes and packaging to a reycling center. Flattened boxes will fit into even the smallest cars.

Moving Out
When a tenant gives notice for moving, give them a copy of the Move-Out Guide. Most of the move-out waste cannot be put into recycling bins, so if the tenant is unwilling to take the items to local thrift stores, you should expect to have extra trash. Discuss expectations with the tenant at the time they give notice to avoid problems in the often hurried last days of move-out. You can call your hauler for an extra trash pickup in either trash carts/cans or trash dumpsters and it will be charged to your bill. Large items such as furniture and matresses will not be picked up with the regular trash, and it is illegal to put them on the street. Illegal dumping incidents will be investigated, and the property owner can be cited. You can call your hauler for a special large item pickup and it will be charged to your bill.