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PHOENIX RECYCLES
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSProcess
What’s the number one recycled material?
Financial
Participation Statistics
Guidelines
Operational
Phoenix Recycles
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Process
What’s the number one recycled material?
- Weight/Volume
- Paper products – newspaper, junk mail, cardboard, etc (over 80%)
- Plastics – 4%
- Glass- 4%
- Metal – 4%
- Nationally –
- steel/metals due to weight and infrastructure for car recycling
- Highest Value
- Per ton – Aluminum (values vary)
- Overall for program - Newsprint (due to quantity)
- Lowest Value
- Per ton – Glass (after processing costs)
- Overall for program – Foam (#6 coded plastic/due to lack of quantity)
To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
What’s the most material that goes into the blue recycling containers that shouldn’t?
This question can be answered in many ways. Some materials are worse than others as they can contaminate good recyclables. Fortunately, we don’t get too many of these materials, but when we do, entire truckloads sometime need to be taken directly to the landfill.
- Oil, liquids
- Hygienic materials such as dirty diapers
- Grass and yard trimmings
- Raw garbage such as food waste and animal waste
Other materials that shouldn’t go in and make our sorting facilities inefficient or perhaps, damage the machinery include:
- Plastic bags
- Wet strength material
- Beer/soda carriers
- Detergent boxes
- Frozen food boxes
- Clothing
- “Peanut” foam packing materials
- Strings of holiday lights
What really happens to the materials in my blue barrel?
- Recyclables are collected weekly from over 325,000 Phoenix homes
- Items in north Phoenix (north of Cactus) go to a mini transfer station at the Skunk Creek Landfill where materials are transferred from the smaller collection vehicles onto empty garbage transfer semi trailers.
- These semi trailers as well as materials from homes west of Central go to a publicly-owned/privately operated Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at the 27th Avenue Solid Waste Management Facility.
- The materials from homes east of Central, south of Cactus, go to a contracted MRF in south Phoenix at 1919 E University.
- The recyclable materials are sorted into eighteen (18) different commodities.
Where do the recyclables go?
- Once materials are sorted, they are sent to recyclers throughout the United States and the world, depending on the availability of markets and value of the materials.
- For example: newsprint and cardboard are sometimes sent to the Abitibi paper mill in Snowflake Az in northeast part of the state. However, some paper goes to exporters in California and then to other parts of the world.
What is done with the stuff that’s not recycled?
Materials not recycled are classified into two categories.
- Rejects – materials that should not be in recycling stream (garbage, plastic bags)
- Residue – materials not processed due to inefficiencies of the system.
These materials go through the processing system and end up in a large compactor and then need to be hauled to the landfill. High percentages of reject/residue material cause the system to be ineffective as well as inefficient. (Current system 25+%, designed for 10%, addressing by education, operational changes and equipment modification)
What does Reduce/Reuse/Recycle mean?
Recycling has been the "buzz" word in solid waste management for several years. Reduction and reuse of solid waste have become neglected, yet they are even more important in dealing with solid waste issues in throughout the world. Many people think that it is OK to create more garbage as it will be recycled instead of choosing to reduce or reuse the solid waste generated at home and work.
Reduction of solid waste deals with buying and using less material and packaging. Buying concentrate or even buying in bulk reduces the potential amount of waste in your garbage or recycling. For example, buying juice in concentrate form (usually in a small container) and then adding water later, reduces the need to buy large plastic containers of the same liquid. Just as important is reusing as many materials and packaging as possible. Ceramic instead of paper cups, taking and using plastic bags at the grocery store or making bird feeders from soda bottles are all examples of reuse.
Click here and find out more about reducing, reusing and recycling.
What can I do with my grass clippings and yard waste?
Mulching is the grinding of woodwaste. This material is a great way to provide water retention in gardens. The City uses mulch in medians and parks as well as alternative daily cover at the landfills. (Alternative to dirt). Composting is the biodegredation of organic material to create a humous solid additive that adds nutrients and aerates gardening soils. Residents can contact the Solid Waste Disposal Division at 602-262-7251 to learn about the city’s composting program, where residents can purchase a composter and starter-kit for only $5. These composters are made from recycling garbage containers.
Click here and find out more about City of Phoenix composting efforts.
Financial
Where does the money go?
Any revenues realized by the Phoenix Recycles program go to the Solid Waste Fund and are used to pay for processing costs, revenue share with processors and capital costs such as barrels and processing equipment.
How much does it cost?
As with any solid waste service, recycling does cost money. However, Phoenix Recycles is unique in that it also generates money with the sale of materials. Each month residents are charged a monthly solid waste fee (currently $23.20/month). This fee is used to pay for all solid waste services Phoenix residents receive including garbage collection, disposal and recycling.
How much money do we make?
The sale of recyclable materials is based on commodity market value for these materials. Consequently, the value of the recyclables processed varies from day to day based on the supply and demand for the materials. Not only the health of the domestic economy has an effect, but the overall world economy has effects on the value of materials. In general, revenue from the sale of recovered recyclables exceeds the cost of sorting the materials.
How much money is saved?
For every ton of materials that is diverted from the landfill, the avoided disposal costs are approximately $30/ton. Unfortunately, the avoided costs are not realized when the incorrect materials are placed in the blue recycling containers and the material is processed (added cost) and still needs to be landfilled.
Participation statistics
Diversion rate?
Approximately a million tons of solid waste is thrown out by Phoenix residents each year. About half of that (500,000 tons) is solid waste collected from city-serviced residential units. About 120,000 tons of that is diverted from the waste stream and is processed for recycling. Consequently, the diversion rate for Phoenix Recycles is about 20%. This is comparable to national commingled residential recycling programs.
Participation rate?
Even though Phoenix Recycles is a voluntary program, over 90% of our solid waste customers have accepted blue recycling barrels (over 300,000 containers out of a potential 340,000). Each week 66% of the blue barrels are out for collection (this is what some people call the put-out rate).
How many non-participants?
Roughly 10% of City of Phoenix residential solid waste accounts have either opted not to participate in Phoenix Recycles, are not aware of the program or have been removed from the program because of incorrect participation resulting in high contamination.
How much do we recycle each year?
In fiscal year 2003-04, the City of Phoenix collected 118,000 tons of commingled recyclables. With continued population growth in Phoenix, the amount of recycling continues to grow and is now over 120,000 tons annually.
How much do we recycle each day?
Each participant in the program recycles about 2 pounds of recyclables each day.
Guidelines
What is recyclable?
Phoenix Recycles is one of the most comprehensive residential recycling programs in North America.
In general Phoenix Recycles accepts:
- Paper (newspaper, junk mail, cardboard, paperboard – 88%)
- Metal (aluminum, steel, scrap metal, appliances – 4%)
- Plastic (PETE (#1), HDPE (#2) and Polystyrene (#6 – foam)-4%)
- Glass (bottles, food containers only – 4%)
To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
Do I have to wash my recyclables?
All recyclables must be relatively clean, empty and dry. This does not mean to put them through a dishwasher. This is especially important during our current drought period in Phoenix. An example of relatively clean, empty and dry would be: a mayonnaise jar, and using a spatula to wipe out residue or emptying a soda bottle completely in the sink. Both of those are clean and dry enough.
Why not crushed?
The equipment used to sort recyclables is much more efficient if the containers are not crushed. This is especially true of aluminum cans. If they are flat, they may get inserted into newspapers and not be found by the machinery or by hand. If a resident forgets and crushes cans, they can still be recycled. It is just preferred that they not be.
What is not recyclable?
Some items are not acceptable in the Phoenix Recycles program.
Including:
- Plastic bags
- Plastics with codes other than #1, #2, and #6 foam: this includes codes #3 (vinyls), #4 (LDPE-lids), #5 (PP-plastic utensils) and #7 (Other – Tupperware, Ziploc bags, etc)
- Wet strength chipboard – 6/12pack carriers, dry detergent and soap boxes and frozen food boxes
- Clothing
- Strings of holiday lights, plastic wrapping paper, bows and ribbons
- Medicine bottles, medical waste
- Household Hazardous Waste (like batteries, oil, paint and antifreeze)
- Food waste, liquids
- Dirty Diapers
- Grass, yard trimmings
- Wood and construction debris
- Pet food bags
To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
Why can’t I recycle plastic bags?
Ready markets for plastic bags do exist for plastic bags. However, all plastic bags (a.k.a. film plastic) are not made of the same plastic and are virtually impossible to sort using the current processing technology. Plastic bags wrap themselves around the conveyor belt rollers and damage processing equipment. Due these processing problems and the dirty/contaminated condition of plastic bags in a commingled program, they are not recyclable in the Phoenix Recycles program. Everyone is encouraged to reuse plastic bags as much as possible. Reuse them to bag and tie your garbage and grass. Reuse them at the grocery store. In addition, many grocery stores have installed plastic bag recycling programs. Utilize these programs and DO NOT place them in your blue recycling container. To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
Why can’t I recycle my six-pack carrier?
The materials used for the six-pack carrier is called wet-strength chipboard. The paper used has a plastic in the paper matrix and is used as a water barrier so the carrier does not fall apart when wet. This same material is used in dry detergent boxes, bar soap, small paper cups and frozen food containers like orange juice. When this material is taken to a recycler, since it repels water, it will not break down and either damages the quality of recyclable paper or could damage recycling machinery. Wet strength chipboard needs to be sorted out at the processing facility and makes the sorting process less efficient and effective. To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
Why can’t I recycle all my plastic bottles?
There are many polymers of plastic. The plastic industry uses a numbering system that you can find on the bottom of most plastic bottles and containers. Phoenix Recycles accepts those with the symbol 1 (PETE) & 2 (HDPE). According to industry statistics, these two types of plastic account for 90% of the bottles used in the typical residence. All the others do not have ready markets and are not economical to sort and recycle. To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
Why not shredded paper?
Shredded paper can contain contaminants such as plastic, photographs, thermal fax and carbon paper. All are considered serious contaminants in paper recycling and are not acceptable in Phoenix Recycles. Please shred only confidential information and recycle the rest.
How secure are the materials placed in the blue container?
Residents should be reassured that materials put in the blue recycling barrel will not be used for any purpose other than recycling. It is suggested that only the most sensitive portion of documents be shredded before being placed in a plastic bag and placed out for garbage collection. For more information, call Crime Stop at 602-262-6151.
Operational
How do I get my blue recycling container?
Solid waste customers that have solid waste services from the City of Phoenix have the opportunity to recycle. Residents that want to recycle just need to call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or send e-mail to have a blue barrel delivered. New homes or existing homes needing water service turned on must first call the Water Services Department. The homeowner will then be referred to Solid Waste Customer Service to schedule having the barrels delivered to your home . Previously owned homes and rental units may have to call to get recycling service directly if the water was not turned off at the home.
I live in apartment. How come I can’t recycle?
In 2004, City of Phoenix provided solid waste services to over 340,000 living units, primarily single family residences. These residences can include apartment complexes but only up to 30 units in size. Anything larger than that is considered a commercial account and is serviced by a private solid waste firm. If a resident lives in a large apartment complex, they can contact their complex management, the solid waste collection provider or look in the phone book for private recycling options.
How do I get my blue recycling container fixed?
To get any solid waste container repaired, recycling or garbage, please call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or send an e-mail. Once the request is registered, repairs are made within one to five working days.
Are there recycling drop-off locations?
Phoenix residents without recycling service that wish to recycle can use one of the three Phoenix Recycles drop-off centers:
- Hudson-Baylor processing facility, 1919 E University
- 27th Avenue Solid Waste Management Facility, 3060 South 27th Avenue
- Skunk Creek Landfill at 3100 West Happy Valley Road.
I would like to volunteer to get the word out. How do I do that?
The City of Phoenix works closely with Keep Phoenix Beautiful (a Keep America Beautiful affiliate) to provide volunteer opportunities in litter preventions, waste reduction and community beautification projects. Call 602-262-4820 for more information or click here to read more about this important organization.
Where can I find a current list of what’s recyclable?
To find out more about what’s recyclable call Solid Waste Customer Service at 602-262-7251 or visit www.phoenix.gov/GARBAGE and follow the links to the information you need.
Is recycling the same everywhere in the Valley?
There are differences between each city’s recycling program in the Valley. However, the basics are the same: paper, metal, plastic and glass (except for Glendale residents) all in one container. Visit www.recyclevrp.com to find out how your city recycles.
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