Recycle+ | Rockwood Solid Waste

We are excited to offer Recycle+, a new service from Rockwood Solid Waste! Recycle+ is an optional service to recycle materials not included in weekly recycling collection. Residents who choose this service are charged a monthly base fee of $2.50 (added on to your regular garbage service bill) and a $9.25 fee per collection.

To add Recycle+ services to your home click the Sign Up button, and to schedule a pickup use the Schedule button.

How the Program Works

1. Sign up for Recycle +

There is a monthly base fee of $2.50 (added on to your regular garbage service bill) and a $9.25 fee per collection.

2. Bin Dropoff

We will drop off a 18-gallon Recycle+ purple collection bin and bags. Sort and bag materials by type and place in the purple bin.

3. Schedule a pickup.

Collections are Thursday in the 1st and 3rd full week of the month. Haulers require notice of at least two business days to schedule a collection during a collection week.

4. Set your bin at the curb by 6:00 am

And we’ll be there to pick up your Recycle+ materials!

Signup for Recycle+

Schedule Your Pickup

Material Preparation

You will receive a purple bin and plastic bags from us once you sign up.
Separate all materials by type, put the materials in the plastic bags provided and place the bags in the purple bin. Make sure the container lid can close completely to keep materials dry.
Why plastic bags? Each category of items needs to be kept separate and dry during collection. The plastic bags will be recycled once materials arrive at their final destination.
Tip: To ensure materials are collected, make sure items are clean, sorted and bagged. Wet materials cannot be recycled.

Remember

Only the items listed below can be collected
Pickups are on-call and you must schedule your pickup here to have your items collected
Sort all materials by type (listed above) in separate bags
Make sure the lid to the purple bin is completely closed to keep items dry
There is no commitment, you can cancel this service any time
Pro Tip: To ensure materials are collected make sure items are clean, sorted and bagged so they can be recycled!

What is Collected? and Where does it go?

1. Stretchy plastic film/bags

Plastic Bags
Produce bags
Dry cleaning bags
Plastic padded envelopes (no padded manila envelopes)
Plastic overwrap for paper towels, paper plates, napkins, etc

Stretchy plastic bags and film are shipped to a company that uses the materials to manufacture outdoor products such as composite decking, playground equipment and benches. Currently, the primary company receiving Recycle+ plastic film is TREX.

2. Clear plastic #1 clamshell containers

One-piece containers hinged on one side and stamped with #1PET or PETE. Containers must be clear and clean of food residue. No black or other color plastic containers.

Fruit containers
Egg cartons
Bakery containers
Take-out containers

Clear plastic #1 clamshell containers are delivered to a recycling processing facility and, in coordination with D6inc, a partner of Green Impact Plastics, the PET thermoform, clamshell containers are recycled into new PET plastic packaging.*

3. Textiles

Clothing
Bed linens
Towels/rags

Textiles are sent to Pioneer Wiping Cloth, a local company that recycles/downcycles textiles into wiping cloths and rags. 

4. Compact fluorescent light bulbs

A fluorescent lamp that is curved or folded to fit the space of a regular household lamp.
Long fluorescent tubes used in commercial lighting are not accepted.
Bulbs must be contained in a zip-sealed bag. This protects workers from mercury exposure should bulbs get broken during handling.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are sent to processors who are vetted and have received third party certification such as through R2, RIOS and/or e-stewards.

5. Rotating Item – Electronic Waste**

Yes Keyboards, mice, cords, Christmas lights, cell phones, chargers
No stereos, microwaves, computers or monitors

** Rotating Items – each quarter a new item will be announced for reuse and recycling.

Small peripheral electronics will be taken to permitted e-waste recycling facilities.

Extras

Styrofoam – $9.00
Extra bags of core items – $1.00 Each (5 bag max)

Bin Placement

For doorstep collection, place your bin visibly near your doorstep or porch.
For curbside or roadside collection, place the bin near the road so that it does not block sidewalks, driveways, public streets or other rights of way.
Place your lidded bin out by 6 a.m. on your collection day.

FAQs:

How big is the Recycle+ bin?

It’s an 18-gallon bin. It comes with a domed lid that adds another 2 gallons to the capacity. The dimensions are 18.3”D x 27.75”W x 13.5″ H (17.5”H with the lid on).

Why do are plastic bags used for separating Recycle+ materials?

Existing lifecycle analysis (LCA) research for grocery bags shows that when choosing between plastic and cotton to manufacture bags, the environmental impact of cotton appears to be higher than that for a variety of plastics for several indicators including climate change and resource depletion.

The production of fabric bags comes with its own environmental footprint that starts with the impacts of agriculture. Depending on the environmental indicator in question, the LCAs estimate cotton bags may need to be reused hundreds or thousands of times to equal that of single use plastic bags.

While grocery bag LCA results are not directly applicable to the bags used in this new collection service, the research shows that choosing cotton over plastic is not automatically an environmental win in all situations.

Reuse of bags in the Recycle+ program, regardless of material type, has not been determined to be feasible at this time. The plastic bags must be 30% post-consumer recycled content, unless unavailable in the marketplace. Bags will be recycled once emptied. Staff will keep an eye out for updated research and continue to look for ways to increase the value of this collection service for customers and for the planet.

Why can’t I use my own plastic bags to separate materials in the bin?

It’s crucial to the success of the program that materials be free of contamination when they’re sent to their end markets. The bags need to be transparent so that your driver can quickly see if there’s any contamination in the materials they’re collecting. Common household bags reused by customers are opaque. They’re also often smaller in size, which may prevent items from being fully contained and protected from the elements once collected.

Why can’t I put Recycle+ items in my regular recycle bin?

It’s important for the items accepted in your standard recycling cart to stay consistent. The sorting equipment that separates everything is finely tuned for these items alone so that they don’t end up in the wrong place as contamination. Also, these items have many stable end markets. This means we can be confident they’ll be recycled. (In Oregon, it’s actually illegal for items collected as recycling to be thrown away.)

Why is there a monthly fee, even if I don’t request a pickup?

This is an optional service, and only a fraction of community members will sign up. The base monthly fee covers the ongoing time and cost associated with the program regardless of pickups. This includes things like customer communication, managing the sign-up process, the cost of the bins, etc.

The separate pick-up charge covers costs associated with collecting your materials each time: the labor, fuel, processing fees, etc.

Sign Up

You can sign up for this service as soon as May 1. Have your account information, name, address and a telephone number ready, then fill out the form here.