What better time than Earth Day to announce big changes to the City of Tucson Recycling Program. A new state of the art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is modernizing and simplifying recycling. Tucson residents and businesses will now be able to recycle a wider variety of material than ever before – especially plastics. The new MRF will accept any plastic containers making recycling even easier. There’s much less sorting and confusion about what can go into the Blue Barrel-- no more having to throw away the previously unaccepted plastics like butter tubs, yogurt containers and produce clamshells.  

A new MRF, owned and operated by ReCommunity, will be opening in July 2012. The MRF is where City recycling collection trucks go after they collect the recyclables in your Blue Barrel. This new, state-of-the-art facility is where every thing is sorted before it’s sold and shipped to the individual recyclers. 

The new MRF is a highly elaborate system of conveyers, advanced sensors, automated sorters, and skilled human sorters that separate glass (by color), aluminum, steel, all seven different types of plastics and different forms of paper and cardboard into single product types.

 So now not only is recycling even easier, Tucsonans can divert even more material from landfills, saving more of our natural resources and allowing your plastic water bottle to be reborn as something useful like carpet or polar fleece; your old newspaper as kitty litter or building insulation; or your plastic detergent bottle as a Frisbee or a stadium seat.  So take another look at what’s new. An updated list of recyclables will be included in your July utility bill. 

The following can now be recycled in your blue barrel as long as they fit with the lid closed. If you have questions about recycling, call the Recycle Infoline at 791-5000.

• Plastic buckets
• Plastic milk crates
• Plastic laundry baskets
• Plastic lawn furniture
• Plastic totes
• Plastic pet carriers (no metal)
• Plastic coolers/ice chests
• Plastic flower pots (rinsed and clean)
• Plastic dish drainers/racks
• Plastic wastebaskets
• Plastic water bottles (5-gallon size)

Highlights:

Weekly garbage and recycling collection are on the same day All recyclable materials can be combined in the blue barrel Small businesses with plastic container garbage service are included Expanded recycling for commercial customers now available Weekly curbside recycling collection is offered to single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, four-plexes, and small businesses with plastic container garbage service

Residential recycling is collected on the same day as the resident's trash. For more information or to find your collection schedule, call 520-791-3171.

View the City's Holiday Pickup Schedule (PDF)

Tucson Recycles Curbside Service: Click on the links to view what is or is not recyclable in your blue barrel:
Recycling list (PDF)

Neighborhood Recycling Centers (NRC) are drop-off sites located throughout Tucson where residents can take any recyclables accepted in the Blue Barrel Recycling Program. To find the NRC closest to you, click here.

Tucson Recycles Videos: Click on the link to learn about the program and what new things YOU can recycle.

Other Waste Reduction Programs include Brush & Bulky Service; ABOP (anti-freeze, batteries, oil, paint, computers), Scrap Metal, Household Hazardous Waste, and Christmas TreeCycle. Also, please recycle working televisions, learn more about recycling tv's here (PDF).

Guidelines for Blue Barrel Recycling

No plastic grocery bags No garbage Please make sure materials are clean, empty and dry Set out your blue barrel for collection when it is more than half full to decrease fuel consumption and air pollution Have barrel at curb by 6 a.m. to ensure service Leave labels on containers Bottle and jar caps and lids can be recycled Lightly rinse food containers. Use water wisely - throw very dirty items into the garbage All recyclables go loose into the blue barrel, together - - no sorting! Please put them in individually, not inside a box or bag Do not flatten cans and bottles to ensure sorting equipment works properly Cut or flatten corrugated cardboard boxes to fit in container. Remove plastic wrapping and liners Shredded paper may be recycled in the blue barrel if it is secured in a clear plastic bag. NOTE: This is the only time that plastic bags can go in the recycling container

RECYCLE These Items:

Newspapers Brown Paper Bags Corrugated Cardboard - remove plastic wrappers and flatten Paperboard - remove plastic liners Milk Cartons and Drink Boxes Molded Fiberboard Magazines and Catalogs - less than ½ inch thick Phonebooks Printing and Writing Paper Mail - envelope windows and labels are OK, remove other non-paper items Other Paper - pamphlets, brochures, file folders, card stock, etc. #1 Plastic (PETE) Bottles - Soda, water, etc. No trays or baskets #2 Plastic (HDPE) Bottles and Jugs - Milk, water, juice, liquid detergent, shampoo, etc, No hazardous material containers Rigid Plastics NO OTHER PLASTICS MAY BE RECYCLED Aluminum Cans Steel/Tin Cans - Non-hazardous aerosol cans are OK. Please no other steel. Glass Food and Beverage Bottles and Jars - No other glass

DO NOT Recycle These Items:

If in doubt whether an item is recyclable, click here to play The Recycling Game.  You can also call 520-791-5000 to find out or just put it in the garbage. For questions call Recycling Information at 520-791-5000 or Customer Service at 520-791-3171.

Other Options

A service that is available for apartment and mobile home residents and for small businesses that do not have curbside recycling service is to take trash and recycling to the Los Reales landfill or another county landfill. For more information click on the link to the Los Reales landfill page.

If you want to know how to recycle materials that don't belong in the Blue Barrel, contact Tucson Clean and Beautiful, Inc. You can call the Recycle Infoline at (520) 791-5000 or view the on-line edition of the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Directory.

Other Recycling Efforts

TreeCycle - For several weeks following Christmas, the City of Tucson and cooperating sponsors provide many sites in the greater Tucson area for residents to drop off their Christmas trees. The trees are then taken to area landfills to be mulched and used for erosion control and other environmental projects.