(956) 796-1098 (956) 795-2510
“one man’s trash…”
www.LaredoSolidWaste.com
City of Laredo Solid Waste Services Dept.
Summer 2015 Newsletter
Your guide to reducing, reusing, and recycling
Take good care of your Willie Bote garbage can
The City of Laredo wants to remind you to set out your bins by 7 a.m. or the night before your collection day. Also, please bag all of your food waste and trash before throwing it inside the green can. Follow these simple tips to keep your Willie Bote in good condition: 1. Bag all of your trash, especially food waste. 2. Keep the lid closed at all times. 3. If extra space is needed in the green can, recycle more! Remember that 60% of garbage is actually recyclable. 4. Regularly wash your bin with bleach or vinegar. This will help prevent odors and pests. Scrub the interior and exterior of the can with the vinegar. 5. After scrubbing, rinse well, then allow can to dry in the sun before putting any new trash in. 6. If your bin is missing a lid or is broken, please call 3-1-1 to have it fixed.
Cuide bien de su bote de basura Willie
La Ciudad de Laredo desea recordarle que saque sus botes de basura antes de las 7 a.m. o la noche antes del día que le recogen la basura. Por favor, recuerde también poner todos los residuos de comida y la basura en bolsas antes de echarlos en el bote verde. Siga estas simples recomendaciones para mantener a su bote Willie en buenas condiciones: 1. Ponga toda la basura en bolsas, especialmente los residuos de comida. 2. Mantenga siempre la tapa cerrada. 3. ¡Si necesita más espacio en el bote verde, recicle más! Recuerde que el 60% de lo que tiramos puede reciclarse. 4. Lave regularmente sus botes con blanqueador o vinagre. Esto ayuda a prevenir malos olores y plagas. Talle el interior y exterior del bote con el vinagre. 5. Después de tallar, enjuáguelo bien, y permita que se seque al sol completamente antes de meter nueva basura en su bote. 6. Si a su bote le falta la tapa o si estuviera quebrada, por favor llame al 3-1-1 para que se la arreglen.
From the time the Billie Bote recycling program began in October 2013 through March 2015, you recycled 11,520 tons, or 23,040,000 pounds, of materials! That means we saved 40,016 cubic yards of landfill space and conserved 199,840 trees. Way to go, Laredo! City of Laredo residents living in single-family homes or buildings eligible for curbside recycling service received a Billie Bote bin. At present, multi-family units and complexes don’t have recycling carts. However, City representatives are available to help determine eligibility and, upon request, will evaluate complexes and buildings to determine whether the program would work for these residences. If you don’t have a recycling cart, you can recycle at these drop-off centers: • Downtown, 219 Davis, Monday–Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. • 2220 McPherson, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
© iStock.com | Jani Bryson
Didyouknow?
Keeping up with the Billie Botes Our recycling outreach and education team is out in the community showing people how to properly recycle. With 55,000 homes that could be recycling, we need to be sure that everyone knows how to participate correctly. Our drivers and education team monitor the Billie Bote recycling bins to watch for non-recyclable items that are accidentally or intentionally placed inside the cart. When non-recyclable items are seen in a recycling bin, a correction notice is left for the resident. Sometimes residents don’t know that items are being placed into the wrong bin, so the notice informs them. These notices also reduce the number of “reject materials” that end up at the recycling processing center. Reject materials include items not currently accepted for recycling, nonrecyclable items, and cross-contaminants. Non-recyclable materials and items not currently accepted for recycling in our program include Styrofoam, buckets, garden hoses, hangers, aerosol cans, and plastic bags, to name a few. Crosscontaminants include food residue in tin cans and
liquids in shampoo bottles or soda cans, as well as food waste. These are referred to as cross-contaminants because the food, soap, drinks, and other liquids can contaminate the paper and cardboard in the Billie Bote, reducing the quality of the paper fibers and making it more difficult to recycle. Other reject materials can be dangerous, such as hazardous and medical wastes. Hazardous waste, such as pesticides, automotive fluids, and paint, are often flammable, corrosive, or toxic. If these items are mixed with recycling, loads may become contaminated and workers may be put at risk. Please keep these items out of your curbside cans. Another problem is medical waste, especially syringes and needles, known as “sharps.” If sharps are placed in recycling cans, workers at the processing facility may get needle sticks. Because the source of these sharps is unknown, workers who get a needle stick must be tested over several months for (Continued on Page 2)
¿Sabía usted?
Desde el inicio del programa de reciclaje del bote Billie, el cual empezó en octubre del 2013 y hasta marzo del 2015, se han reciclado 11,520 toneladas, o sea unas 23,040,000 libras de materiales. Eso quiere decir que ahorramos unas 40,016 yardas cúbicas de espacio en el relleno sanitario y salvamos unos 199,840 árboles. ¡Bien hecho, Laredo! Los residentes de la Ciudad de Laredo que viven en casas particulares o en edificios que participan en el servicio de reciclaje a domicilio recibieron un bote Billie. Actualmente, las unidades de multifamiliares y complejos no cuentan con botes para los reciclables. Sin embargo, representantes de la ciudad están a sus órdenes para determinar si pueden participar y, una vez que lo solicite, evaluarán la propiedad para determinar si el programa puede funcionar en esas residencias. Si no cuenta con un bote para los reciclables puede llevar sus reciclables a uno de los centros en: • En el centro en 219 Davis; lunes– viernes, 11 a.m. a 7 p.m. • 2220 McPherson; martes–sábado, 10 a.m. a 6 p.m.
No, plastic bags are not recyclable through the city’s program. Why? The equipment at our recycling facility can’t handle them. Plastic bags that end up in Billie Bote carts get caught in the spinning mechanisms at the recycling facility, causing the equipment to shut down. Keep bags out of Billie Bote and, instead, recycle empty plastic bags at the many grocery and drug stores, as well as stores like Target and Walmart, that have recycling bins for them. ¡No! Las bolsas de plástico no son reciclables a través del programa de la ciudad. ¿Por qué? Porque el equipo de nuestra planta de reciclaje no puede manejarlas. Las bolsas de plástico que terminan en el bote Billie se atoran en el mecanismo del equipo causando que éste se detenga. Mantenga las bolsas fuera del bote Billie y recíclelas a través de una de las tiendas de abarrotes y farmacias, o en tiendas como Target y Walmart, donde encontrará depósitos para reciclar las bolsas.