Posted 12:57 am Sunday, August 19, 2012
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Tyler's Solid Waste Department makes recycling simple for Tylerites
By Joe Buie
jbuie@tylerpaper.com
Managing clutter at my house is a full-time job. So is sorting through the weekly deluge of junk mail. It would be much easier to just blindly throw it all out, but what a waste that would be.
jbuie@tylerpaper.com
Managing clutter at my house is a full-time job. So is sorting through the weekly deluge of junk mail. It would be much easier to just blindly throw it all out, but what a waste that would be.
Not long after becoming a homeowner 12 years ago, I joined the city of Tyler Solid Waste Department’s curbside recycling program.
Residents can sign up for the service and receive two curbside recycling pickups every month for $2.50 per month. A recycling cart is included. Materials do not have to be sorted but must fit inside the container with the lid closed.
Items accepted include:
- Metal food cans
- Aluminum cans
- Paper, junk mail, newspapers and magazines
- Cardboard of any type (broken down as flat as possible)
- No. 1 (PETE) plastic, such as soda and water bottles
- No. 2 (HDPE) plastic, such as milk jugs and detergent bottles
If you’re not sure, look on the bottom of the container for the appropriate recycling symbol.
Be sure to rinse out your cans and plastic bottles — and remove the lids on the 1 and 2 plastics. Also, the city recommends crushing the items. This is especially important if you’re recycling big boxes. They will take up too much room in the container if you don’t break them into smaller pieces.
Preparing for the next recycling pickup sometimes feels like a burden — or work, but it’s rewarding to know I’m helping in a small way to cut down on the amount of waste taken to our local landfill.
If you’re not one of the 3,400 households — according to the Solid Waste Department — doing curbside recycling in Tyler, there’s still plenty you can do on your own.
Items accepted include:
- Metal food cans
- Aluminum cans
- Paper, junk mail, newspapers and magazines
- Cardboard of any type (broken down as flat as possible)
- No. 1 (PETE) plastic, such as soda and water bottles
- No. 2 (HDPE) plastic, such as milk jugs and detergent bottles
If you’re not sure, look on the bottom of the container for the appropriate recycling symbol.
Be sure to rinse out your cans and plastic bottles — and remove the lids on the 1 and 2 plastics. Also, the city recommends crushing the items. This is especially important if you’re recycling big boxes. They will take up too much room in the container if you don’t break them into smaller pieces.
Preparing for the next recycling pickup sometimes feels like a burden — or work, but it’s rewarding to know I’m helping in a small way to cut down on the amount of waste taken to our local landfill.
If you’re not one of the 3,400 households — according to the Solid Waste Department — doing curbside recycling in Tyler, there’s still plenty you can do on your own.
The biggest example is taking plastic grocery bags back to the store — either Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods or Wal-Mart — where they have collection containers. Wal-Mart’s drop-off is inside the store, while the other two have boxes just outside the front entrance, and also a place for plastic bottles.
Better yet, buy several reusable grocery bags to stuff your items and limit the plastic altogether. You can buy them for cheap and get a discount when checking out at Brookshire’s or Super 1.
You might be surprised how much you can recycle by just taking the time to look for the recycling diagrams or do research online.
I also recycle No. 4 (LDPE) plastics, including bags from bread, newspapers and dry cleaning; and boxes from frozen foods. Recently, I started recycling paper-towel wrappers, Ziploc bags, restaurant take-out bags, the plastic containers that hold the food and case wrapping for plastic bottles.
Shredded paper doesn’t even make the trash anymore. This only becomes a problem when too many small bags of shredded paper start piling up in the garage, waiting to be taken to the Tyler Recycling Collection Center at 414 N. Bois D’Arc Ave.
Guess I need a bigger bag.
For more information on recycling, contact the Solid Waste Department at 903-531-1388, or online at www.tylersolidwaste.com.
Better yet, buy several reusable grocery bags to stuff your items and limit the plastic altogether. You can buy them for cheap and get a discount when checking out at Brookshire’s or Super 1.
You might be surprised how much you can recycle by just taking the time to look for the recycling diagrams or do research online.
I also recycle No. 4 (LDPE) plastics, including bags from bread, newspapers and dry cleaning; and boxes from frozen foods. Recently, I started recycling paper-towel wrappers, Ziploc bags, restaurant take-out bags, the plastic containers that hold the food and case wrapping for plastic bottles.
Shredded paper doesn’t even make the trash anymore. This only becomes a problem when too many small bags of shredded paper start piling up in the garage, waiting to be taken to the Tyler Recycling Collection Center at 414 N. Bois D’Arc Ave.
Guess I need a bigger bag.
For more information on recycling, contact the Solid Waste Department at 903-531-1388, or online at www.tylersolidwaste.com.
