A Friendly Reminder About Contamination.

With all that is going on lately, changes to Durham's recycling program might have slipped your mind. Single stream collection is leaving, and we are returning to alternating weekly collections.

What can I recycle?

One of the biggest solid waste challenges that Durham faces in 2019 is pressure from Waste Management, the company that receives our recyclables and landfill waste, to reduce contamination. Recycling contamination includes both items that are not recyclable ( ex. plastic shopping bags - grocery store) and containers with food on them (ex. the oily cardboard rounds in the pizza box). Recycling the correct clean materials is important because Waste Management currently allows less than 1% contamination per load. Exceeding those limits results in the entire load going to the landfill. In order for our recycling program to be effective, we need residents to have a clear understanding of what we accept . Please read the tables below. They give you the basics of what is recyclable, and how to prepare it for collection..

What is the Weekly Schedule?

The cost of our recycling program is driving us to split weekly collections. While it is painful, it usually results in reduced contamination and helps us control our costs.

Here is the schedule weekly schedule.

Public Works and the Integrated Waste Management Committee would like to thank you for working with us to make Durham’s recycling program successful!