RecologySF.comRecology Sunset Scavenger and Recology Golden Gate, your local recycling companies | Recycle | Compost April - June 2018

San Franciscans are stepping up to increase recycling and curbside composting and to send less to landfill.

We are putting more recyclable materials in our blue bins and less in our landfill (black) bins. Accordingly, at the City’s direction, Recology is delivering larger recycling and smaller landfill bins to residential customers. We started exchanging bin sizes in the Sunset District last September and are well into the citywide rollout. The new residential standard includes a 64-gallon blue bin and a 16-gallon black bin. The green (composting) bin is still 32 gallons. The reception has been overwhelmingly positive with many customers saying this is just what they need. Blue and black bins are exchanged on customers’ regular service days. Before exchanging bins, we send customers a letter, a brochure, and postcards. The new Recology microsite LessTrashMoreRecycling.com includes a video showing how we collect materials and keep them separate and a link to a poster featuring the new items accepted for recycling. Here is the best part: In neighborhoods that have received larger recycling and smaller trash bins, tons sent to landfill are consistently down 10 to 15 percent, and these same neighborhoods are achieving a corresponding increase in recycling.

Those are double-digit improvements. That keeps materials out of landfills, saves trees and other natural resources, supports local green jobs, provides materials for manufacturing, and helps San Francisco make additional progress toward achieving zero waste, the goal of sending nothing to landfills or incinerators.

Other cities around the world look to San Francisco for leadership on this issue. Trash is truly an issue of great international concern. Worldwide, 3.5 million tons of trash are produced each day. If compacted into 18-wheel transport trucks, that material would stretch 3,000 miles, the distance from San Francisco to New York City. And that is from just one day. A lot of responsibility for this unfortunate reality falls at our feet. The US EPA estimates that on average Americans produce about 4.5 pounds of trash per day. It is said that number is higher than the per-person average produced in any other country.

It’s time to do our part to change those numbers. Larger recycling bins and smaller trash bins give us the right ratio of container space. Canvas carry bags, metal water bottles, and reusable food containers are essential zero waste tools that help us reduce the amount of trash we generate. Keep these tools with you whenever possible. Decline plastic bags. Refuse plastic straws and unnecessary packaging. These simple actions make a big, positive difference. As we get closer to zero waste other cities are following our lead. Keep going San Francisco. When we all do our part, we are highly effective in helping protect the environment, which we all depend on.

Recology Sunset Scavenger (415) 330-1300

Recology Golden Gate (415) 626-4000

Debris Box Service (888) 404-4008

BulkyItemRecycling.com (415) 330-1300

Check out the City’s new website: SFRecycles.org

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Better at the bin

New stickers going on bin lids show customers what goes where.

Customer Service is Top Priority

Fred Arafelis, who has been an employee-owner of Recology for 29 years, enjoys working his Cathedral Hill/Fillmore District routes. “It is my goal to make sure our customers get excellent service. I like knowing that we all are working together to keep San Francisco clean and green.”

To see a map of the rollout schedule go to

LessTrashMoreRecycling.com

Paying your bill for recycling, composting, and trash collection just got easier.

Recology recently upgraded its electronic bill pay system to make reviewing and paying bills simpler and more convenient for customers. One upgrade makes it easier for customers to sign into their accounts. Here are other reasons to enroll in Recology’s e-bill payment system:• Customers who sign up for e-billing receive a $1 discount each time they pay their regular bill through Recology’s paperless online portal (Kubra).• Online payments get processed faster than traditional payments, which helps keep your account current. • Online payments save trees. That’s because electronic payments eliminate the need for need to for printed bills and envelopes.

To sign up, go to Recology.com/bill-pay. After following the simple login instructions, you can make payments, set up automatic payments, view payment history, and add customer and payment accounts. Payments can be made from your bank account or with your credit card.

We have included an extensive list of FAQs to make complete information available to customers at all times. We recently added an additional service — a phone number that customers can call to make a voice payment by following a series of audio commands. To pay your Recology statement by phone, please call 628-201-0077 and have your account number ready.

The web page at Recology.com/ bill-pay explains how to create an account and enroll. You will be asked

to create a user ID and a password. This service is simple and convenient. More San Franciscans enroll every day. Join the trend and make your life a little easier. You will save postage expense and paper. Over time, these benefits can really add up.

Recology Sunset Scavenger (415) 330-1300

Recology Golden Gate (415) 626-4000

Debris Box Service (888) 404-4008

BulkyItemRecycling.com (415) 330-1300

Recology Sunset Scavenger and Recology Golden Gate, your local recycling and composting companies Recycle | Compost

RECYCLING, COMPOSTING, AND TRASH COLLECTION:

Online payments save time and money

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San Francisco is hitting the street with a new campaign asking residents to remember simple guidelines when

discarding small batteries. The need to handle household batteries properly is more important than ever because small batteries, many of which are lithium, are being used in more and more products, including watches, phones, calculators, and toys. Rechargeable batteries are preferable over single-use batteries. Batteries are hazardous and must not go in any black, blue, or green bin. Here are three simple points to remember when recycling small batteries:

1. If you live in a single-family home, place used household batteries (AA, AAA, 9-volt, etc.) in a clear, sealed plastic bag and set it on top of your landfill (black) bin. Before emptying your trash bin our collector will put your batteries in a special bucket lashed to the neighborhood route truck. After returning to the truck yard, Recology

trash collectors empty the household batteries into larger containers. Then, the batteries are transported to a company that specializes in recycling batteries. The outside casing is made into new metal products. The interior material is used in the manufacturing of new batteries. 2. If you live in an apartment building, look for an orange, 5-gallon battery recycling bucket in your building’s lobby or common area. Recology provides battery recycling buckets on request to apartment building owners and managers. If you manage an apartment complex and need an orange battery bucket, call our Customer Service Department at (415) 330-1300 and we will deliver one. When the bucket is full, call us and we will exchange it for an empty one.

3. Be sure to tape the ends of lithium batteries. Adding tape creates a barrier that prevents movement of electrons. This is very important because lithium batteries can retain charges for a long time and, if punctured, can create heat and even start a fire. A large fire broke out at a recycling plant in New York on March 16. The incident caused great damage to the recycling plant and resulted in service suspensions on the Long Island Rail Road. Fire department officials attributed the incident to an improperly discarded lithium ion battery. Taping lithium batteries can help prevent similar fires in San Francisco. Another way to reduce risk is to submerge lithium batteries in salt water, which slowly discharges their energy. For more information go to SFSafeBattery.com.

What to do with household batteries

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE

Make sure to tape the

ends of lithium batteries.