Recycle For Good, Milwaukee!

12/28/2020

Want to turn your tree into the gift that keeps on giving? Live trees taken to a City Drop Off Center (milwaukee.gov/dropoff) will be turned into a new useful product- mulch!

Trees placed at your regular garbage collection point for pick-up will be landfilled.

Artificial trees can be donated for someone to use next year or placed in your garbage cart. They should never be placed in your recycling cart.

Trees must be bare, with all decorations and lights removed.

https://city.milwaukee.gov/recycle/what/Recycling-Directory

12/23/2020

'Twas the week before Xmas (almost), light strings went dark, fix them or toss them, but not in your recycling cart.

Remember that tanglers like light strings, ribbons, and bows do not belong in your recycling cart. They are not recyclable and jam the recycling equipment.

12/23/2020

LEGO Ideas Automated Garbage Truck project

A family in Madison, WI built this LEGO automated collection truck and there’s a chance LEGO will produce it as one of their sets. How neat is that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8N1L0g-lEU&feature=youtu.be

Keep your LEGO city tidy with an automated garbage truck! This LEGO Ideas project is an automated side-loading garbage truck that reinvents minifig-scale ga...

12/22/2020

No Styrofoam in your recycling cart please. If it cannot be reused, please place it in the garbage cart. Once cardboard boxes are emptied, please flatten them. It's SUCH a big help. Thanks, Waukesha County Recycles

12/21/2020

Garbage and Recycling Schedules

🌲🎀Wishing everyone happy holidays! Please find a few schedule reminders below:
Garbage, Recycling, and Drop-Off Centers:
• There will be no garbage and recycling pick-up on Thursday December 24 and Friday, December 25. Reminder - collection days shift forward after each City holiday. Review your collection schedule at www.milwaukee.gov/collectionday
• Drop-Off Centers will be closed on Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25. Open on Saturday, December 26 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Enter your service address to find your garbage and recycling schedules, along with set out instructions for placing your cart properly for collection.

12/21/2020

Pizza boxes can only be recycled if they are free of grease and cheese. Most boxes have a perforated edge that allows you to pull apart the box and recycle the usually clean top. If you're looking for some alternate uses though...

12/21/2020

'Tis the season to recycle some of the basics! Don't forget your paper and beverage/pantry cartons too! Learn more about what is and isn't accepted curbside here: milwaukee.gov/recycleguide

12/18/2020

Existing materials like newspapers and magazines can be given a second life as gift wrap and then recycled. Try to say no to extras like gift tags, tissue paper, & bows – these aren’t recyclable.

Decorate packages with greenery or holly that can later be composted. Learn more at Milwaukee.gov/compost.

12/17/2020

A reminder that gift bags are not recyclable unless they are plain, paper bags. 🛍️A great way to reuse is through a bag swap after gifting is done. This sends everyone home with something new to gift in next year and keeps these bags out of the garbage.

12/16/2020

Please empty and flatten cardboard boxes before recycling. It saves space in the cart, helps our crews load them, and saves space in the truck so multiple trips to #TheMRF aren't needed during one route. If you thought there were a lot of boxes before, you wouldn't believe how many are at the curb now 😲 'Tis the season!

12/15/2020

Wondering what to do with all of that holiday wrapping and packaging? Follow these guidelines!

Know before you throw and find a copy of the curbside recycling guide here: Milwaukee.gov/recycleguide

12/15/2020

When it comes to holiday packaging and wrapping, where should it all go when the festivities are complete?
Curbside Recycling Cart:
✅ Flattened cardboard boxes
✅ Plain wrapping paper (no glitter or foil)
Garbage Cart (or Reuse it):
❌ Glittery or metallic wrapping paper
❌ Tissue paper
❌ Bows and ribbons
❌ Styrofoam
Store Drop Off (or Garbage):
🚗 Plastic film shipping envelopes
🚗 Bubble wrap
🚗 Air pillows

12/14/2020

Did you know? Concrete can be recycled at the City's Drop Off Centers. Clean concrete may be crushed and used as fill, aggregate in road beds, or concrete to concrete recycling. Visit www.milwaukee.gov/dropoff for locations and hours of operation.

12/10/2020

Did you know? Asphalt shingles can be recycled at the City's Drop Off Centers. The 2nd largest construction and demolition waste, roughly 247,000 tons of asphalt shingles were landfilled in Wisconsin in 2009.

Visit www.milwaukee.gov/dropoff for locations and hours of operation.

12/09/2020

Did you know? Residents can recycle used motor oil and oil filters at the City's Drop Off Centers. Wisconsin recovers over 1.8 million gallons of oil and 4.8 million pounds of steel annually through recycling.

Visit www.milwaukee.gov/dropoff for locations and hours of operation.

12/08/2020

Learn more about diverting food waste from the City of Milwaukee, including tips for source reduction, industrial uses, and composting: https://city.milwaukee.gov/sanitation/Yard-Food-Waste

12/07/2020

Understanding Date Labels on Food Packages

Wondering if your food is still good to eat? Learn more about date labels on packaged foods from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5jgZ4fJJsw&feature=emb_logo

Learn about date labels on packaged foods and how to know if your food is still good to eat. For information and resources about food waste visit: https://ww...

12/03/2020

Tips for Reducing Food Waste

Wondering how you can help reduce food waste? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration shares these tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgKdI0FF1XE&feature=emb_logo

Tips and information about how you can reduce food waste, save money, and help protect the environment. For more information and resources about food waste v...

12/02/2020

Wasted food results in a waste of resources such as water, energy, and labor and food waste in landfills produces significant greenhouse gasses. Reducing food waste and keeping food out of landfills helps us save money and protect the environment.

Learn more about diverting food waste: https://city.milwaukee.gov/sanitation/Yard-Food-Waste

12/01/2020

Did you know that 30-40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted? That’s around $161 billion and 133 billion pounds of uneaten food every year. Learn more about diverting food waste: https://city.milwaukee.gov/sanitation/Yard-Food-Waste

11/30/2020

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, each year, food waste costs a U.S. family of four about $1,500. Learn more about the detrimental impacts of food waste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWMa3aV2Ws&feature=emb_logo

11/25/2020

2020 vibes. #HappyThanksgiving, Milwaukee!

11/25/2020

If you finish up the shortening or other #Thanksgiving foods stored in spiral wound containers like you see here, remember that they should be placed in the trash when empty. They are not recyclable.

Other items you might find in these spiral wound containers include stuffing, bulk oatmeal, hot cocoa, or Pringles.

11/24/2020

After prepping your #Thanksgiving meal, remember that pantry and beverage cartons can be recycled curbside! Just rinse and put the cap back on if you have it.

11/23/2020

A reminder that yard signs do not belong in the recycling.

Thank you for sharing, City of St. Louis Park, Minnesota!

11/23/2020

Busy planning a #Thanksgiving meal for your home this week? Don't forget to place that to-go cup in the garbage, please. Paper cups are not recyclable.

11/20/2020

City of Milwaukee residents have until end of day Sunday, November 22, 2020 to rake their leaves into the street for pick-up by the DPW Milwaukee.

We ask the public to continue raking their leaves into the street, one (1) foot away from the curb.

Additionally, make sure to keep leaves away from storm drains and sewer grates. Do not put leaves in paper or plastic bags – keep them loose for better composting.

NOTE: It takes about two weeks for leaf collection operations to cycle through the entire City. After the final leaf pick-up cycle, equipment used for leaf collection is redeployed for the winter season assignments such as snow and ice control. If residents have leaves after the final city cleanup has concluded they can mulch their leaves on their lawn, compost them, or take them to a City Drop-Off Center for composting.
Leaves and brush, along with other yard waste, are banned from landfills and must not be placed in garbage or recycling carts.

More tips for a successful fall leaf collection:
• Do not put leaves in garbage carts
• Place garden debris on top of leaf piles
• Pumpkins – Place them in your garbage cart or compost them
• Do not put brush into the street – place it on the grass next to the curb. Call 286-CITY (-2489) through November for a pick-up. Brush is defined as woody stalks such as tree branches and bushes.

11/20/2020

Friends (and family!) don't let friends bag their recyclables.

Never too early for some Thanksgiving-themed #FridayFun! 🦃

11/20/2020

TMJ4 News

Wondering where all of those leaves go that you rake out? They aren't landfilled. They're taken to a compost site! Find out about the process here. Also, no pumpkins on the piles, please.

DPW Milwaukee has extended the rake out deadline to this Sunday, Nov. 22nd.

This time of year it seems like leaves are everywhere we go. They clog up sidewalks, take up street parking, and just find their way into every nook and cranny. However, cities work hard to clean them up, so where do they go?

11/20/2020

Nearly all registered E-Cycle Wisconsin collectors charge to accept electronics—especially TVs—under E-Cycle Wisconsin in order to support the prices paid to send the electronics to registered recyclers.

Consumers around the state are often asked to pay $25, $30, $40 or more to recycle old TVs, but City of Milwaukee residents can recycle three TVs through our Drop Off Centers for just $5 each. Learn more at Milwaukee.gov/dropoff

11/19/2020

What Happens When We E-cycle

DNR’s surveys of Wisconsin households have found state residents are storing millions of unwanted TVs and computers in their homes. Data privacy is a concern we take very seriously.

Learn what happens to electronics recycled through the E-Cycle program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOvjVMu-i3Y&feature=emb_logo

We all have old electronics lying around. Have you ever wondered what happens to them when they're recycled? Learn how electronics go from the back of your c...

11/18/2020

Over the last 10 years, Wisconsin’s electronics recycling program has helped conserve an estimated 47 million pounds of steel, 16 million pounds of copper, and 8 million pounds of aluminum, along with millions of pounds of glass, plastic, and other metals!

Recycling your electronics makes a difference. Visit Milwaukee.gov/dropoff to learn how you can recycle your electronics.

11/17/2020

2020 marks the 10th anniversary of WI's electronics recycling law! During the last 10 years, the program has collected nearly 325 million pounds of electronics for recycling.

This has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about 123,000 metric tons—about the same amount as using 13.8 million fewer gallons of gasoline!

Visit Milwaukee.gov/dropoff to learn how you can recycle your electronics.

11/16/2020

According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the economic impact of recycling in Wisconsin in 2019 was over $4.5 billion dollars, including over 20,000 jobs, wages exceeding $1.2 billion dollars, and taxes in excess of $470,000,000. You help make that happen!

11/16/2020

Recycle For Good, Milwaukee!'s cover photo