Help & Support

Frequently Asked Questions:

Universal Recycling

More Questions? Call our CITIZENS' RESPONSE LINE at 1-800-404-7080.

Q) What is Universal recycling?

A) Universal Recycling is a new State Law, which requires all trash haulers, including municipalities, to provide single-stream curbside recycling service to their customers by delivering an appropriate sized recycling cart and collecting recycling at least once every two weeks.

Q) Do I have to use my recycling cart?

A) No, the law does not require you to recycle, but the intention of the law is to make recycling convenient to residents by providing curbside service.  Trash haulers must provide EVERY customer a recycling cart regardless if they want to participate.  Trash companies may or may not increase their charge for this service but they must provide both services for a set price.

Q) What is single-stream recycling?

A) Single-Stream recycling is a recycling process in which materials are collected all mixed together with no sorting required by the customer. So cans and bottles can be recycled together with newspaper, cardboard, etc. Once collected the recyclables will be taken to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and separated.

Q) What happens at a MRF?

A) A MRF uses a system of sorting mechanisms, which can separate the recyclables into individual material groups in preparation for sending to their respective market.

Q) What exactly can I put into my single-stream cart?

A)

• Newspapers/ Brown Paper Bags
• Magazines/Catalogs
• Telephone/Soft Cover Books
• Junk Mail/Envelopes (all types)
• Paper
• Paperboard (cereal/tissue boxes)
• Cardboard
• Glass Bottles/Jars (any color)
• Metal Cans (tin/steel/aluminum)

• #1 PET plastic food and beverage containers.
  
• #2 HDPE plastic food and beverage containers. No motor oil or anti-freeze containers.
  - HDPE Mixed Rigid Plastics- kitty litter containers, small plastic buckets (up to 5 gallon), milk crates, small toys, and plastic trays.
• #4 LDPE butter tubs, sour cream containers, and margarine tubs.
• #5 Polypropylene yogurt containers, cottage cheese containers
• #7 Mixed plastics various containers. Cartons and aseptic containers- juice boxes, orange juice and milk cartons.

If you have a question about whether a product can be included, please call the Citizens’ Response Line at 1-800-404-7080.

 

Q) Should I put recyclables into bags then into my single-stream cart?

A) There is no need to place recyclables into bags before putting them into the cart.

 

Q) What will happen to DSWA Drop Off Centers?

A) DSWA has no immediate plans to remove the Drop-Off Centers.  After a suitable period of time, DSWA will evaluate the productivity of Drop Off Centers and may remove unproductive sites.  DSWA will continue to provide drop off locations for items that cannot go in the single stream containers like textiles, oil filters, used motor oil, batteries and electronic goods.

 

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