New Recycling Contractor

[jne]

Well, I hope the new contractor is a step in the right direction.  However, I don't know that adding 2 pick-ups a year is anything to get excited about.  I can't even look at a calender and figure out if its my recycling day unless I fill the whole year out skipping weeks from my first pick-up.  Anyway, tomorrow is my normal pick-up day and after memorial day weekend I've got quite a collection.  I checked the new map and it says 'Recycle 2 Day 2.'  So what the fark does that mean?

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12581834

[sgrizzle]

Just means you get picked up every other week, which is less confusing than the old way. If they didn't pick up last week, they pick up this week.

[sgrizzle]

 I checked the new map and it says 'Recycle 2 Day 2.'  So what the fark does that mean?

It lists two recycling groups and five days so it sounds like you are getting picked up next tuesday.

[jne]

Ah, your probably right, for some reason I thought I had seen a group 3.  Well, I guess I'll have to take these somewhere, its already out of hand...  
I don't keep my bins at the curb and I'm sound asleep when they r picked up, so its just as mysterious as the old way for me.  Every week would sure be nice - I'd recycle more items.  I don't mess with paper because I already have two bins and some overflow with glass and plastic and the paper is a mess in the rain.  And if I'm just totally out of room, things get diverted to the trash.  I may just go out and buy a large trashcan and draw a recycle symbol on it.

You'd have to see the piles of Harp and Marshal bottles to appreciate it:)

[TURobY]

I don't keep my bins at the curb and I'm sound asleep when they r picked up, so its just as mysterious as the old way for me.

The old contractors used to pick mine up early in the morning. Judging by this week's pickup, looks like my neighborhood gets picked up in the evening now.

[Hoss]

It lists two recycling groups and five days so it sounds like you are getting picked up next tuesday.

I'm on Group 1 Day 4 (Thursday) so I'm guessing tomorrow is my day.  I believe it was to begin with.  But there were those odd months where we didn't get pickup service for three weeks.  I'm glad they went to every other week.

[Hoss]

The old contractors used to pick mine up early in the morning. Judging by this week's pickup, looks like my neighborhood gets picked up in the evening now.

City tells you to have it at the curb by 6 am.  The earliest I've ever seen them pick it up since I've been enrolled is 10 am, and sometimes as late as 7pm.  Just like the damned trash service.  I moved back in over here around 2005, it was very rarely that my trash wasn't picked up before I left for work in the morning (about 7:30 am); now, since about 2008, it's even more rare if they've picked it up by the time I get home around 5pm.

[SXSW]

How do you go about getting a recycling bin from the city?  Do you order one or do you just get one delivered when you start paying a bill?  I'm still getting used to Tulsa not having polycarts with once weekly service for trash and recycling....maybe in 2012 when the new trash service contracts are in place??

[havewemet]

How do you go about getting a recycling bin from the city?  Do you order one or do you just get one delivered when you start paying a bill?

You can call the City at 596-9777 to set up curbside recycling service. When you're offered a lid, take it--otherwise, rain gets to the paper like a lot of people have already mentioned. You can get more info on curbside here: http://www.cityoftulsa.org/environmental-programs/recycling/curbside-recycling-service.aspx

I'm still getting used to Tulsa not having polycarts with once weekly service for trash and recycling....maybe in 2012 when the new trash service contracts are in place??

That's one of the options being looked at by the Recycling and Refuse Task Force, TARE and the City Council. Right now, all cards are on the table--we want a system that works, is equitable for all citizens, and increases recycling participation.

[TURobY]

How do you go about getting a recycling bin from the city?  Do you order one or do you just get one delivered when you start paying a bill?  I'm still getting used to Tulsa not having polycarts with once weekly service for trash and recycling....maybe in 2012 when the new trash service contracts are in place??

When I set up the service with the city, the recycling contractor dropped a bin off at my house on the first day that they visited my house. Keep in mind that was the old contractor, I have no idea what the new contractor will do.

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

I wish the new contractor would take cardboard and plastic bags.

They also need to teach the people in my neighborhood the rules.  They don't take the lids off or empty/wash out bottles and I see Quiktrip cups in their bins all the time (they don't take #5 and #6 plastics unless the rules changed).  At least they are trying to recycle.

[Hoss]

I wish the new contractor would take cardboard and plastic bags.

They also need to teach the people in my neighborhood the rules.  They don't take the lids off or empty/wash out bottles and I see Quiktrip cups in their bins all the time (they don't take #5 and #6 plastics unless the rules changed).  At least they are trying to recycle.

They told us that off the bat.  Use only #1 and #2 plastics; we've put things like walmart plastic bags in the bins and they've never said anything or left them in the bins.  We also do take the caps off.

And you'd be surprised what can be recycled.  Look at your over the counter pill bottles (the white ones).  Almost all of those are #1 or #2 plastics.

[havewemet]

They told us that off the bat.  Use only #1 and #2 plastics; we've put things like walmart plastic bags in the bins and they've never said anything or left them in the bins.  We also do take the caps off.

And you'd be surprised what can be recycled.  Look at your over the counter pill bottles (the white ones).  Almost all of those are #1 or #2 plastics.

We get a lot of calls from people saying, "Why can't you take _____? It says it's recyclable." The answer is because not everything can be recycled here. We just don't have the processors for a lot of things that technically could be recycled somewhere. That's why most recycle symbols are also followed by "Check if facilities exist". Here, they don't (yet).

Like the Wal-Mart plastic bags. They are technically recyclable, but only if you take them to Wal-Mart. Currently, neither the curbside program nor the MET can take plastic bags. Wal-Mart does their own thing with them. If you put them at the curb, they're not going to be recycled.

Same with medicine bottles. We can't recycle those in the Tulsa area because there is special equipment needed. They're too small for the processors that are currently in town. They'd literally fall through the cracks if you tried to recycle them.

Basic plastic guideline (for Tulsa)
YES #1 and #2 plastics with a neck or a handle. Anything like a detergent bottle, water bottle, or plastic coffee tub is recyclable.
NO #1 strawberry containers, no medicine bottles, yogurt containers (they're #5).

[buckeye]

We got a bin several years ago and quit setting it out in short order.  The pickup dates were nebulous and the contractor would leave a terse (i.e. rude) note and refuse to take anything if our bin was out of order in any way at all.

I'm glad to see that the pickup is regularized (that small change makes a big difference).

[Hoss]

We get a lot of calls from people saying, "Why can't you take _____? It says it's recyclable." The answer is because not everything can be recycled here. We just don't have the processors for a lot of things that technically could be recycled somewhere. That's why most recycle symbols are also followed by "Check if facilities exist". Here, they don't (yet).

Like the Wal-Mart plastic bags. They are technically recyclable, but only if you take them to Wal-Mart. Currently, neither the curbside program nor the MET can take plastic bags. Wal-Mart does their own thing with them. If you put them at the curb, they're not going to be recycled.

Same with medicine bottles. We can't recycle those in the Tulsa area because there is special equipment needed. They're too small for the processors that are currently in town. They'd literally fall through the cracks if you tried to recycle them.

Basic plastic guideline (for Tulsa)
YES #1 and #2 plastics with a neck or a handle. Anything like a detergent bottle, water bottle, or plastic coffee tub is recyclable.
NO #1 strawberry containers, no medicine bottles, yogurt containers (they're #5).

Then you need to instruct the city when a customer calls to dispense that specific information.  Just telling us that anything with a 1 or 2 on it obviously is incorrect.

But they've never left anything in my bin that would have been considered out of bounds (walmart bags, medicine bottles, etc).  And the medicine bottles I see (the OTC ones) almost all have a 2 or 1 on them.

No wonder very few people recycle

EDIT:  Even the City's website doesn't state any of the exceptions.  It just states 'plastics (labeled 1 and 2)'.  They might be wise to modify it.  Most grocery bags are labeled 2.

http://www.cityoftulsa.org/environmental-programs/recycling.aspx