The Department of Public Works Waste Collection and Disposal Gerald T. Palm, Superintendent
	111 Airport Drive East w Frederick, MD 21701 w (301) 600-1377 w Gerald@cityoffrederick.com

TRASH SERVICE SUGGESTION

(RECYCLING DIVERSION)

We have noticed that your trash contains recyclable material (e.g., paper, plastic, metal, or glass). Combining recyclable material with your household garbage is economically and environmentally unsound. We would like for you to consider recycling this material.

RECYCLING GUIDELINES –

RECYCLING BINS: The Frederick County Department of Solid Waste Management supplies residents with one recycling bin per household. Contact them at (301) 696-2960 to obtain a bin.

SCHEDULE: Ask your neighbors, or contact the Frederick County Department of Solid Waste Management to determine your recycling schedule. Recycling service is provided once-a-week.

RECYCLING MATERIAL –

PAPER		MIXED PAPER Newspaper, mail, computer paper, magazines, envelopes, catalogs, boxboard (cereal and cracker boxes).	DO: Tie in bundles or place in paper grocery bags.
		CARDBOARD Corrugated cardboard.	DO: Break down and flatten into stacks no larger than 2 ½ ft x 2 ½ ft.; tape or tie in bundles.
CONTAINERS		METAL CANS Aluminum and steel food and beverage containers. Foil and pie plates.	DO: Empty and rinse.
		GLASS BOTTLES/JARS Clear, brown and green glass food and beverage containers.	DO: Empty and rinse. Remove and dispose of lids. Do not break.
		PLASTIC BOTTLES All bottles except those used for automobile oil and antifreeze.	DO: Empty and rinse. Remove and dispose of lids.

ADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING -

ECONOMICS:

§ The City of Frederick spends over $2 million annually to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste. City residents can directly control these costs be decreasing the amount of trash that they set out. For example: diverting 100 pounds of waste can save almost $3.⁷⁰ in City funds.

§ The Frederick County Government spends $2.¹⁶ per month to provide curbside recycling services to City residents. This service is based on a fixed price – you may set out as much recyclable material as you wish and your costs do not increase. Please consider that for every pound of waste you transfer from your trash to your recycling, you save almost 4 cents in City funds.

§ Recycling creates jobs and makes manufacturing industries more competitive. Recycling provides manufacturing industries with less expensive sources of raw materials, a long-term economic advantage that translates into value for consumers who spend less on products and packaging. The industrial development effects of recycling are significant.

THE ENVIRONMENT:

§ Recycling cuts pollution and conserves natural resources - The greatest environmental benefits of recycling are to the conservation of energy and natural resources and the prevention of pollution in manufacturing that result from the use of recycled rather than virgin raw materials. Recovered materials have already been refined and processed once, so manufacturing the second time around is usually much cleaner and less energy-intensive than the first. Detailed analysis shows that these environmental benefits of recycling far outweigh any additional environmental burdens resulting from the collection, processing and transport of recyclable materials in curbside recycling programs.

§ Recycling conserves energy - Much less energy is needed to make recycled materials into new products compared to beginning the process again with new, "virgin" raw materials. By recycling a ton of materials in a typical curbside recycling program, at least $187 worth of electricity, petroleum, natural gas and coal are conserved, even after accounting for the energy used to collect and transport the materials. In other words, the energy conserved through recycling is about five times as valuable as the average cost of disposing of trash in landfills in the U.S.

§ Recycling programs that are sensibly designed and fully implemented can be cost-competitive with solid waste landfilling and incineration - We do not expect landfills or incinerators to "pay for themselves," nor should we expect this of recycling^[1]. Recycling’s benefits are not immediatley evident, but they are substantial and well worth pursuing.

FOR MORE INFORMATION –

Waste Collection and Disposal ………… The City of Frederick ……… (301) 600-1377

Curbside Recycling Services …………... Frederick County Recycling … (301) 696-2960

For a quick reference, please consult pages 35-36 of the Verizon Customer Guide, found in the Verizon Yellow Pages for Frederick (December 2000 – November 2001).

^[1] Assessing the Full Costs and Benefits of Curbside Recycling (John F. Ruston, Economic Analyst; Richard A. Denison, Ph. D., Senior Scientist)