Valley Curbside Recycling

A Curbside Recycling Effort in the New River Valley

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What Can We Take?

December 1st, 2008 by Jeremy · 28 Comments · Media Coverage, Operations

Wondering what you can and can’t toss in that lovely blue bin?  Here’s the list, straight from the Waste Management Department of Montgomery County!

  • Aluminum - food and beverage cans, aluminum foil wrap and pans
  • Steel and Bi-Metal cans - steel and bi-metal food and beverage cans, steel lids from glass jars, bottle caps, cardboard spiral, can tops and bottoms, EMPTY paint cans and lids, empty aerosol cans
  • Glass - food and beverage containers such as jars, bottles and jugs, and we’re partial to brown, clear, green and/or light blue
  • Plastics - #1 plastics include clear or colored soft drink containers, bottles and jars, while #2 plastics include milk and waterjugs, detergent, bleach and household cleaner bottles.  Look on the bottom for either a #1, or a #2
  • Paper - dry newspaper, colored inserts (like you get in the Sunday edition of the paper), glossy magazines and catalogs
  • Mixed Paper - office paper (any color), cereal boxes, newspapers, phone books, paper core tubs (from paper towels and toilet paper), wrapping paper, envelopes, manila folders, paper bags and small cardboard (non-corrugated) boxes
  • Corrugated Cardboard - just smash it down and leave it under your bin, although if you could make sure it’s in manageable piles (like, 3′ by 3′) we’d really appreciate it!  Don’t forget that we can take small package boxes - like you’d get when you bought an item at the store - as part of our mixed paper collection.

We had a good time making this video about what we can take, maybe you’ll have a good time watching it.

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28 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Katy // Dec 1, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    Hey, I am absolutely thrilled about this! Our whole community will benefit, some people will find it a lot easier to recycle and I wish you the best of success.

  • 2 Jessica & Matt // Dec 1, 2008 at 6:48 pm

    How wonderful! Our family already recycles but as we drove through our neighborhood, we saw your sign and decided to check out the site. I hope that others in our neighborhood will recycle, too, especially when grassroots movements like this exist.

  • 3 Jeremy Hart // Dec 1, 2008 at 8:13 pm

    Katy - thank you for that!

    Jessica and Matt - thank you for checking out the site! We hope that by making it a little bit easier to recycle on a regular basis that more and more people will choose to do so. Thanks for the comment, and be sure to share this with your friends and neighbors! We’ll have more information coming out, both here on the site as well as throughout the area, soon.

  • 4 Rachael // Dec 4, 2008 at 6:24 am

    I’m the Community Recycling Coordinator in Blacksburg. I’d love to learn more about what you all are doing in Christiansburg. Is there any way to get in touch with you?

  • 5 Jeremy Hart // Dec 4, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Thanks for the interest, Rachael. Left you a voicemail at the office, feel free to call anytime!

  • 6 Tom & Sarah // Dec 12, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    Jeremy, need to expand area a little to include rest of Windmill Hills. Our house is 200 yards of your current area. Sarah’s ready to sign up!

  • 7 Jeremy Hart // Dec 12, 2008 at 10:01 pm

    Awesome Tom, we’re coming; we’re not far, are we? Just a couple casts of a Carolina rig from you (there’s your fishing reference ’cause that’s how you roll). Windmill Hills and others are Phase 2, we just want to make sure we can do it right. And we will. Tell Sarah we’re on our way - sign up for the newsletter and we’ll announce all our new routes as they’re finalized! Thanks for checking it out …

  • 8 Jeri and Jack // Dec 24, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    We’re glad you’ve started this. We moved here and were disappointed that we didn’t have this service.

  • 9 Jeri and Jack // Dec 24, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    How and when will we get the bins?

    How do we notify you that we want to participate?

  • 10 Ryan Stewart // Dec 25, 2008 at 7:36 am

    Hi Jeri and Jack. We’ll begin taking new signups within the next few weeks for the folks in our service area. After signup, we’ll deliver bins and your service will begin 1 week after your bin is delivered. We look forward to working for you. If you’re in town on 12/31, please join us for the Cardboard Cruise. we’re meeting at 8am at Christiansburg High School and will depart from there.

  • 11 Lucinda Shewchuk // Dec 29, 2008 at 3:31 pm

    Hi, I am excited to hear that you are starting the curbside pickup in my area. I live in the listed area, but am confused about the process for sign-up. Could you help me? I would like to have more details listed on the site. My family has been recycling for years. We have bins in the garage and when they are full we take them to the town bins that are in the Home Depot parking lot. It will be easier to have it at curbside each week. Thanks for any help that you can give.

  • 12 Jeremy Hart // Dec 29, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    Hi Lucinda - thanks for your interest! We’re in the process of testing out the database so that we eliminate all the bugs up front, that’s probably why you’re having trouble signing up. We expect it to be ready any day now; if you sign up for the newsletter we’ll let everyone know the minute it’s ready. If you’re already in our service area, be sure to leave your corrugated cardboard out on Wednesday morning and we’ll come by to pick it up. We’ll also have folks out passing out information and such, and answering any questions residents might have.

    Thanks for participating - we’ll be starting service on January 21st, with our first pickups beginning January 28th!

  • 13 Jaclyn // Jan 28, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    Hey guys,
    I was wondering about what time of day do you think we should put the bins out - or rather, what time will the van come around on most pick up days? Oak Tree Blvd. is quite the wind tunnel and I don’t want it all blowing away before you get to it… that would kinda defeat the purpose, huh? Also, can you take WET paper and cardboard or should we just not put it out if there’s a chance of rain? And, (sorry for all the questions), labels on cans or drink bottles - take off or not?
    Thanks!

  • 14 Jeremy Hart // Jan 28, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Thanks for asking, Jaclyn. Wind is a problem everywhere in Christiansburg, it seems - we’ll be getting started about 8am on weekdays, so we’d recommend you have it out in the morning when you put your trash out. If you’re worried about the wind, put your cardboard on top with a weight and we’ll take care of it.

    The Solid Waste Authority asks that it be as dry as possible, so we’ll do the same. It’s okay if it gets a little wet - it’ll likely dry out in time, it just can’t be soaked through so if it looks like it’s going to rain, might be good to hold the cardboard until the following week.

    See you next week!

  • 15 Jeremy Hart // Jan 28, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Sorry, forgot to mention the labels - they’re okay, leave them on!

  • 16 Theresa // Feb 3, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    I’m super excited that Christiansburg now recycles!! Every little bit helps so I hope you keep growing. I’m overflowing already!

  • 17 Jeremy Hart // Feb 8, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    Theresa, apologies for the long delay in getting back to you. Are we currently serving your street?

  • 18 Chris // Feb 20, 2009 at 11:52 am

    Hey Guys -

    Now I’m sort of sorry that I don’t live in Christiansburg! Good for you for offering this service. I wish you lots of luck and much success!

  • 19 Lisa Gardner // Feb 24, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Can I sign residents up that are friends & family throughout the town and still get the street leader incentive?

    Do I sign them up even if their pick up days arent added yet?

  • 20 Jeremy Hart // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    Thanks Chris! If you’ve got friends and family there, be sure to let them know!

  • 21 Jeremy Hart // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    Hey Lisa! Right now, we need to stick with your Thursday pickup date. Let me know if you need some help, or want me to come by and pick up the sign-up form! Once their subscription comes through, we’ll upgrade your account. Easy peasy!

  • 22 Shireen // Apr 22, 2009 at 7:11 am

    This is wonderful — you now offer pickups in my neighborhood and I just signed up for a year!

    Please tell everyone that, until you’re able to handle it, they can recycle MIXED PAPER at the public recycling sites in C’burg. Save the trees and spare the landfills!

    Happy Earth Day :-))

  • 23 Jeremy Hart // Apr 26, 2009 at 6:31 am

    Thanks for signing up, Shireen! We’re glad to have you!

    Yes, we are working on gearing up to *hopefully* begin picking up mixed paper soon, adding to the already long list of items we can take. Thanks for pointing everyone to that, we hope to have a big announcement on that soon!

  • 24 Jennifer // Aug 5, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    I just signed up today for a year and I am excited that you are making recycling easier for my family and I.

    I watched your video on what I can recycle and I think that I am clear on everything. I have a suggestion for your website. I think that you should add to your video about where to recycle the things that you do not take. For example: it could be mentioned that although you don’t take plastic bags people can recycle them at Walmart or Kroger at the front door.

    I am excited and hoping that your program will expand to include mixed paper as well as other plastics.

    Can’t wait to get my bin and get started!

  • 25 Ryan Stewart // Aug 5, 2009 at 6:13 pm

    Thanks so much for signing up Jennifer! You’ll be getting your blue bin tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion about telling folks where they can recycle other things, I’ll make sure that gets in the next video. As for mixed paper, we’re doing a “soft” roll-out of that now. So, if you’re reading this (anyone) and you want to put mixed paper in your bin … go for it! As soon as we get a good handle on the volume that we’ll be receiving, we’ll announce the change to everyone.

  • 26 Jennifer // Aug 13, 2009 at 11:45 am

    Mixed paper will include?????

  • 27 Jeremy Hart // Aug 14, 2009 at 4:24 am

    Hi Jennifer - mixed paper would include things like (deep breath, it’s a long list):

    * office paper
    * newspapers
    * magazines
    * paper grocery bags
    * paper tube cores (from paper towels & toilet paper rolls)
    * phone books
    * small cardboard boxes (flattened, non-waxed, remove all plastic and styrofoam please)
    * note pads / Index cards
    * writing paper
    * computer paper
    * envelopes of any color (with or without cellophane windows)
    * manila folders
    * JUNK MAIL!!!!
    * brochures and circulars
    * paperboard boxes - cereal boxes (no liners), shoe boxes, tissue boxes
    * construction paper
    * wrapping paper

    Pretty exhaustive list, but we’re glad to finally be able to include this in our materials-collected, and looking forward to having everyone up to speed soon1

  • 28 Why Recycle? « GreeneWords // Sep 4, 2009 at 6:18 am

    [...] your home to 100% solar energy and collect rainwater in buckets in order to make a difference, just do the little things and demonstrate to our children the importance of protecting our [...]

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