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Recycling

Recycling is a very important part of the Bureau's waste management program. While many people still don't recycle, the benefits should be reviewed:

1. conserves natural resources; consider that if we didn't recycle newspaper we would have to cut more trees to produce new newspapers,
2. conserves landfill space; landfills would fill up proportionately to the amount of materials we don't recycle - if we didn't recycle anything, most landfills would be full 10-30% faster than had we all recycled,
3. saves us money; yes, actually it does - a new landfill costs millions of dollars to develop and build - money that could better be spent on schools, roads, and public safety, and
4. it makes cents - yes - more people are employed with recycling businesses and many people sell recyclable materials.
   

So, if you live in Calvert County, the following items can be recycled:

• Glass: Clear, brown, green, yellow, red or blue drinking, food, and beverage bottles. If it didn't have food or beverage it, it probably can't be recycled. Don't take the labels off, but please remove the lid. Rinse out the container and recycle. We can't accept plate glass, lightbulbs, mirrors, dishes, pottery, ceramics, windshields or other non-food containers.
  
  
• Cans:   All food and beverage cans, steel, tin, empty paint, aerosol or aluminum can be recycled. Rinse them out and flatten if you can. And don't worry about the labels either.
  
  
• Plastic:  All plastic food containers and bottles with #'s 1 thru 7. Please rinse out and flatten (for space). We don't accept plastic toys, dolls, plastic wrap, large buckets; pans or pails, or plastic bags. Plastic bags can be returned to the store in which you received them to be recycled.
  
  
• Paper:  We accept all dry and stacked NEWSPAPER, with or with out the Sunday insert. Please DON’T include the plastic bag you may have stacked the paper in. All MAGAZINES and all “slick” printed material, sales, mail order catalogues and other high quality printed catalogs. Every piece of MAIL you receive can be recycled. Any SCHOOL PAPERS as well as some containers from your kitchen – including pasta, cereal, and food boxes. You can also recycle paperback and hardback books. TELEPHONE BOOKS are also acceptable. Cardboard: corrugated, if it has interior ridges, waffles, or is thick, it's corrugated and we love to recycle it. We are now accepting Asian boxes too.
  
  
• Textiles/Clothes:   Any old clothing you have, with or without holes, buttons or zippers can be recycled. While the good clothing is sorted out for resale, the really bad stuff (please don't be shy) is then used for rags and other products. Don't forget sheets, curtains, blankets, socks, shoes, belts, cloth table cloths, napkins, shower curtains, towels, or just about anything that's a fabric. Be sure that the items are clean and dry. If you're unsure, please ask an attendant.
  
  
• Motor Oil:  Motor Oil Filters: Antifreeze: If you do your own oil changes, chances are that you have a used filter so when you bring your oil to the recycling center, bring along the filter too. Filters should be drained and recycled in the marked container at all sites..
  
  
• Household Hazardous Waste:  This program is available to residents only -NO COMMERCIAL HAULERS/BUSINESSES. Commercial businesses must make other arrangements for disposal. County residents may drop off their HHW at the Appeal Landfill for free. These products usually have the words "DANGER, POISON OR WARNING" on the labels, and should be kept out of the regular garbage. Some of these items found around the house are; pesticides/insecticides, paint thinners/removers, drain cleaner, gas or fuels, pool chemicals, solvents, etc.

• Ecycling:  Computers, monitors, printers keyboards, mouse, copiers, VCR's, DVD players, two-way radios at the Mt. Hope, Huntingtown, Barstow, Ball road and Appeal Landfill sites.

• Fluorescent & Incandescent Lamps & Ballasts:   All tube fluorescent lights and ballast along with incandescent lights can be recycled at Mt. Hope, Huntingtown, Barstow, Ball Road and Appeal Landfill sites.

• Metal: Lawnmowers/tractors, refrigerators, a/c units, dryers, washers, freezers, stoves, dishwashers, metal cabinets, desks, and chairs.  All of these items can be recycled.  If the item is at least 80% metal, it can be put into the metal recycling boxes.  Appeal Landfill has recessed metal boxes, Mt. Hope, Huntingtown, Plum Pt., Barstow, and Ball Rd. all have metal recycling boxes.  Citizens must put all metal into the boxes provided at the compactor sites.  NO appliances with freon are accepted at the compactor sites, these items must come to the Appeal Landfill for proper draining and disposal.

• And Other Stuff:  Propane tanks from residential BBQ grills (no commercial) can be brought to any site to be recycled. Inkjet/Laser cartridges from printers and fax machines. Cell phones can be recycled at all sites. Rechargeable batteries along with car, boat, and motorcycle batteries can be recycled, alkaline batteries are not acceptable.