Garbage & Recycling Guidelines

 Garbage

The following outlines the rules for residential garbage pick-up:    

• All garbage must be bagged and placed in the assigned container with the lid closed; loose garbage will not be collected. Garbage is no longer collected from other containers.
• Place used delivery pizza boxes inside the assigned BPU container and not on the ground or in the recycling bin.
• All garbage and recycling containers should be placed with the handle facing the street after 4 p.m. the night before the scheduled collection day.  
• Containers should be placed within 2 foot of the street edge at street level. In the winter, snow should be cleared to allow clear access to roll container between the terrace and the street.
• The monthly solid waste fee includes the amount of garbage that will fit into the assigned BPU garbage container with the lid closed. Excess garbage that prevents closure of the lid will require special collection arrangements for a fee.
• Exceeding the limit by placing bagged garbage on the ground, on top of the lid or above the rim of the container is not acceptable. If the container is over full or the excess garbage is blocking the container, the container will not be serviced that week.
• Excess garbage can be scheduled for collection from the assigned container on the day before or after the regular collection day for a $10 fee per occurrence. 
• To increase your regular weekly garbage limit, additional 95 gallon garbage containers can be assigned to your account for a flat rate of $13 each per month.
• Residents may dispose of up to four small household items per week, weighing less than 40 pounds, no larger in volume than a single bag of trash and easily carried by one person at no additional charge.  (This service does not include electronics, Freon removal, glass such as window or mirrors or large items such as beds, couches, chairs, carpet rolls.) 
  • Loose pieces of trash that are able to be reasonably bagged, such as books, shoes, clothes and small toys, will not be collected unless bagged and placed inside the assigned container.

Some examples of acceptable items include: 

• Brooms
• Dining Room Chairs
• Fans
• Lamps
• Mops
• Upright Vacuum Cleaners
• Window Blinds

Syringe Disposal

• Syringes may be taken to the Security Officer’s Desk at the Emergency Entrance of the UPMC Chautauqua Hospital. The desk is staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
• Syringes must be in a sharps container or in a sealed puncture-proof plastic container (i.e. sharps, milk, or pop containers).

Recycling Guidelines

The following outlines the rules for residential recycling pick-up:

• All recycling items must be placed in a recycling bin or similar-sized open rigid container labeled as "RECYCLING."  Recycling items placed on the ground will not be collected.
• To participate in our Residential Recycling Credit Program (RRCP), always fill your assigned orange recycling bin first, each time your recycle, to earn a discount on your monthly solid waste bill. 
• Please place your recycling containers on the terrace after 4 p.m. the night before your scheduled pick-up day. To ensure pick-up, please do not wait until morning.
• Effective 1/1/21, glass will no longer be included on the recycling schedule rotation. Glass recyclables may be taken to the County Transfer Stations for no cost recycling.

The  items below can be recycled following the Recycling Calendar:

•  Metal Food and Beverage Containers

  • Metal cans should be rinsed to remove residual food before recycling.

•  Plastic Food & Beverage Containers (refer to the Visual Guide for more    information)  

• Styrofoam, plastic bags, rubber, wraps and films will not be accepted.
• Remove and throw away the caps.
• Thin or brittle plastics are not accepted by our vendors and should be discarded. Some examples of these plastics include take-out beverage lids, stir-sticks, take-out containers, cake/cookie packaging from bakeries and fruit containers in which blueberries and strawberries are often sold.

• Corrugated Cardboard/Boxboard (such as cereal boxes)

  • All cardboard and boxboard must be flattened and placed in a recycling container. For overflow, recycling may be placed in a similar-sized cardboard box for collection.  A similar-sized cardboard box must be labeled as "recycling" or "R."
  • Paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls are acceptable.
  • Used delivery pizza boxes are considered dirty and should be broken down and put in regular garbage bags.

• Paper

  • Some examples of paper products that can be recycled:
    • Paper Bags (brown, white or colored)
    • Junk Mail/Store Fliers
    • Office Paper
    • Magazines/Catalogs
    • Newspapers
    • Paperback Books
    • Hard Bound Books (must have covers removed)
    • Shredded Paper (may be placed in a loosely tied clear bag in your recycling bin.)
    • Greeting Cards/Post Cards