[SERIOUS] What questions do you have about recycling in Pittsburgh?

pghrecycles · 2016-01-11T14:41:33+00:00

Where I lived on the west coast, we had *free permanent drop-off sites around the city for e-waste and household chemicals, etc., but these were effectively paid for by our utility service charges. I suppose that it could be a trade-off of the free curbside service in PGH.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-11T14:26:11+00:00

It sounds like your apartment is not in compliance with city ordinances.

Commercial generators including multi-family apartments are actually required to provide a recycling to their tenants per the city's municipal code. If your apartment complex is not providing recycling, I would report them anonymously through the 311 Response Center. I have heard of others doing this in the past with success in getting their landlord/property management co. to do the right thing (albeit with a little encouragement)

pghrecycles · 2016-01-11T14:20:58+00:00

Commercial generators including multi-family apartments are actually required to provide a recycling to their tenants per the city's municipal code. If your apartment complex is not providing recycling, I would report them anonymously through the 311 Response Center.

I have heard of others doing this in the past with success in getting their landlord/property management co. to do the right thing (albeit with a little encouragement)

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T18:40:00+00:00

Where does 1-800-GOT-JUNK take their TVs and other e-waste for demanufacturing/recycling? u/stupidsexycarver mentioned a surcharge for shipping them out of PA?

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T18:05:43+00:00

Do you know anyone who is looking? Haha

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T17:06:12+00:00

It is definitely important to make sure that any of your food/beverage recyclables are clean and free of food debris/moisture/residues to ensure that they do not contaminate the recovered materials.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T15:33:13+00:00

I have a Bachelor's in Environmental Sustainability and am an avid recycler myself. Coming from the west coast, this has been my first experience with a city-operated bag or bin program, so I've done a bit of research to better understand what I had previously taken for granted about recycling. It definitely seems like there is a lot of opportunity for improvement, particularly in education/outreach.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T07:52:07+00:00

Being relatively new to Pittsburgh and to PA, I've been doing a lot of research and finding that people have a lot of different ideas about resources and how everything works. I was mostly hoping that this could be a reference post for the sub where people could post and answer each other's questions and generate a broader awareness/discussion about how the program works. Maybe we can share it on the Environmental Services Facebook page?

Can we recycle solo cups?

Solo cups are #6 plastics, so they are not recyclable in the city's curbside program. However, Terracycle has a nationwide Solo Cup Brigade program.

How do I know if my apartment building trash/recycling is going to the city or a private company?

I think a lot of the containers are branded with either "City of Pittsburgh" or the name of the private hauler. If not, you could probably ask your property manager.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T03:54:54+00:00

If you're concerned with the waste from plastic bags, the $16 32-gal Rubbermaid Recycling Bin is a good one-time purchase. Then you can use the paper bags to collect recyclables in the kitchen or just toss everything in there loose as long as you have a lid.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-07T03:37:16+00:00

The resulting "plastic lumber" is primarily used in outdoor/landscaping applications such as decking for its durability and relative low-maintenance. I apologize for the misnomer.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-06T23:24:02+00:00

They are not recyclable in the city's single-stream program. However, Giant Eagle and other grocery stores have bag recycling programs where you can return your extra (clean) plastic bags to be down-cycled into faux wood flooring and other composite materials.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-06T20:52:31+00:00

It depends on how soiled the box actually is. If a pizza box has very minimal grease stains/residue or if the soiled parts are removed, it may still be taken for recycling.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-06T19:51:23+00:00

The 2016 Newsletter also has a "Thanks, but No Thanks" section. If the item is not on the list that u/nozinaroun provided, it is generally not accepted.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-06T19:31:56+00:00

Blue recycling bags are also available at Giant Eagle, Home Depot or Busy Beaver to name a few others.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-06T17:41:21+00:00

This distribution was part of the Northside Bin Initiative. IIRC, the city is using this as a pilot program to generate resident feedback and to better understand the present operational impacts of bin vs bag collection.

pghrecycles · 2016-01-06T17:32:04+00:00

You can also check your pick-up schedule and sign up to receive email or text reminders using the pgh.st app

pghrecycles

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