Recycling

•  Single Stream Recycling is new technology that allows participants to put all of their    

   recyclables into one container.  This makes curbside recycling much easier and results in an

   increase in the number of homeowners who participate in the recycling program.  It is also

   easier for Patriot Disposal, since our crews no longer have to source separate at the curb.

•  Patriot Disposal’s Expanded Curbside Recycling program also decreases the amount of waste

   that goes to the landfill because we collect and recycle more items from the curb.

What is Single Stream Recycling?

Single stream recycling refers to a system in which all recyclable materials (newspaper, cardboard, plastic, glass, etc.) are mixed together instead of being sorted separately by the homeowner and handled separately throughout the collection process. 

In single stream, both the collection and processing systems are designed to handle a fully commingled mixture of recyclables.  Therefore, it is not necessary for the homeowner to separate the materials as they are collected; it is not necessary for the hauler to keep the materials separate as they are transported to the sorting facility and it is not necessary for the processing facility to keep the materials separated.  Instead, the materials are collected altogether by one collection vehicle and taken to a materials recovery facility where the recyclables are loaded in one stream, and transferred to the sorting chamber.  The items are then identified and sorted by various instruments, screens, magnets, air jets and other mechanical means as they are transported along a conveyor belt. 

How Do I Participate in Single Stream Recycling?

Participating in a single stream recycling program is easy!  You should already have a designated recycling container from Patriot Disposal to use for the collection of recyclable materials.  Put this container in a convenient location in your house, garage or yard, and let the members of your household know where it is and what types of items are acceptable to put in the container. 

Please see our Acceptable Recyclable Materials list for the items that Patriot Disposal will collect at the curb.  Whenever you are ready to discard any of the items that are acceptable for recycling put them in the recycling container.  Rinsing the items and removing caps prior to putting them in the container is encouraged.  On your recycling pickup day, put your recycling container out at the curb for pickup.

What is Recyclable?

Items that are acceptable to put in your recycling container are – aluminum cans, aluminum foil and trays (rinsed), metal food and beverage cans, clear and colored glass, plastic bottles (#1-#7), wide-mouthed plastic containers and rigid plastics, newspapers, junk mail, magazines, phone books, paperback books, hardcover books, catalogs, empty aerosol cans, and cardboard boxes (flattened and no larger than 4’x4’).  We prefer that you do not use plastic bags for recycling.

Unacceptable recycling items are plastic food trays and cups, clam-shell containers, light bulbs, glassware, ceramics, pots and pans, paper plates and napkins, batteries, Styrofoam cups, plates, bowls and to-go containers.

Click here for a detailed list of acceptable recyclable materials.

What is Expanded Curbside Recycling?

Our Expanded Curbside Recycling program refers to the additional items that Patriot Disposal will pick up and recycle.  These items include the following:

•Small electronics (computers, monitors, small TVs, small printers, DVD players, etc.)

•Metal items (grills, bicycles, swings, chairs, scrap metal, etc.)

•Car batteries

•Used motor oil (placed at the curb in a sealed plastic container, clearly labeled)

Patriot Disposal has developed innovative and cost-saving methods to recycle these materials, and we are continuing to pursue methods to recycle additional materials and to expand our recycling program even further.

How Do I Participate in Expanded Curbside Recycling?

These materials are generally collected from the curb, at no additional cost, on a weekly basis.*

If you are a current customer of Patriot Disposal, and you have any of the items listed above and would like us to collect them from the curb for recycling, please call our office in advance to schedule a “special” pick up.  These items are collected from the curb by a separate truck (not a trash truck) weekly on Wednesdays. 

*Up to two of these items per residence per pickup will be collected at no additional charge.  Additional items, or items that are extremely large or heavy, will be collected for a minimum fee of $25.00.  For example, TVs or monitors larger than 19” will be picked up for a minimum fee of $25.00.  If you schedule an item for a special pickup and it is not out on the scheduled pickup day, it will be re-schedule for pickup at the request of the homeowner for a $25.00 fee.  All fees for special pickups must be prepaid by the homeowner prior to removal.

*An additional fee may apply for those customers who are not part of an HOA community serviced by Patriot Disposal, or HOA communities serviced by Patriot Disposal with a contract that does not include special pickups of these items for no additional cost.

Copyright © 2011 Patriot Disposal. All Rights Reserved.

Fairfax | Loudoun | Prince William

703-257-7100

Fairfax | Loudoun | Prince William

703-257-7100

See a video of how recycling is separated at a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF).