Solid Waste & Recycling Programs

Common Questions and Answers Regarding the New Three-Cart Service

1.     What waste material goes in each of the three colored carts?

BLUE CART- The blue cart is for recyclables such as beverage containers and plastic jugs, and paper.

GREEN CART- The green cart is for organics such as food waste, grass clippings, yard waste, and food soiled paper.

BLACK/GREY CART- The Black/Grey cart is for all other garbage.  

 2.    Is the new collection schedule the same as before? How often will the new organics  

        cart be collected?

BLACK CART- The black waste cart is collected on a weekly basis. 

GREEN CART- The new green organics cart is collected weekly at the same time as the black waste wart.

BLUE CART- The blue recycling cart remains on an every-other-week basis. 

3.    What if I can’t remember what goes in each colored cart?  

Along with the information that is available on the City’s website, as well as the printed material that was provided to you when the new organics cart was delivered, each colored bin is stamped with information on the material that is to be collected in that specific cart. 

 4.   Can we put the recyclable items that belong in the blue cart or organic waste that 

       goes in the green cart in a plastic garbage bag before placing it in the cart?

No.  Although garbage bags are plastic, they are not considered a recyclable material.  Further, garbage bags prevent the ability to determine whether there are contaminants inside the bags and interfere with the machinery used to process sorting of the mixed materials before they are taken to the recycling facility.  For the organics bin, only material that is compostable may be placed in the green container.  Plastic is not a compostable material and therefore should not go in the green bin either.  However, brown grocery bags or garbage bags labeled as "compostable" may be used to collect and dispose of organic waste.