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F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions |
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GENERAL QUESTIONS RECYCLING QUESTIONS HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE QUESTIONS BILLING and MANDITORY USER FEE |
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Answers |
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| Q. | How can I learn more about Mercury? |
| A. | Mercurcy Awareness |
| Q. | What if I would like information about District services in ESPANOL? |
| A. | Contact the District for educational & service pamphlets written in Spanish. |
| Q. | What if I have too much recycling and would like another bin? |
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Only material in a wheeled bin provided by Borden ( 96 gallon or 35 gallon size) will be accepted. No materials outside of the bin or in another type of container will be collected. The service provider is only required to provide one (1) bin per household. A second bin may be obtained by calling Borden at 1-800-683-6801. An additional fee will apply. In the event you MOVE, please LEAVE the recycling bin and schedule at your old address to be used by the new resident. |
| Q. | I would like a magnetic recycling schedule. How do I get one? |
| A. | You can mail, email or phone in a request for a current magnetic schedule to the district office. |
| Q. | Why should I buy recycled items? |
| A. | When you buy recycled products, markets are created and a use is assured for recyclables being collected in your community and in thousand of others. Manufacturers will respond by continuing to use recycled materials in their products, instead of raw virgin materials. |
| Q. | How can I determine if a plastic is accepted for recycling in my local program? |
| A. | All plastic bottles and containers coded #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, AND #7 Check for the triangular code, on the bottom or back, which depicts a number within the chasing arrows. |
| Q. | What is the difference between Pre Consumer and Post Consumer recyclables? |
| A. | The pre consumer and post consumer content are measured by a percentage of the total recycled materials used to manufacture a new product. Post consumer indicates the material has been in the hands of the consumer already. The highest percentage of post consumer material is the most desired kind of recycled product because it supports the local efforts of community recycling programs like St. Joseph County's. Pre consumer recyclable materials are those collected from industry. These materials are generated by companies and collected for recycling within their business operations to avoid land filling or incinerating their waste items. They save money by diverting these waste streams from the trash to a second use. |
| Q. | Do milk jug or pop bottle caps need to be removed? |
| A. | Although removing caps, rings and funnels are not necessary for plastic container recycling, any additional preparation you can do will help the processing of these items. Individual milk containers are being manufactured with a plastic sleeve on the outside. Cutting this sleeve and removing it from the bottles will aid in the processing of these materials for market. |
| Q. | Can I place cans within cans in my recycling container? |
| A. | Yes you may place cans inside one another to save on space in your recycling bin. Do not place an aluminum can within a bi-metal food can however as they are different materials and will be processed differently. |
| Q. | Can I recycle all paper items from my kitchen? |
| A. | No, the easiest way to remember which paper items are not accepted is to consider whether they have a wax coating (to allow the product box to withstand temperature changes) or a foil overlay (such as dishwasher detergent box). Those packaging items with either a wax coating or foil overlay are not accepted paper items. Dog and cat food bags are not accepted due to the plastic lining these packaging bags contain. Non-perishable food packaging boxes, fiberboard, is an ideal material for recycling and can be easily flattened and collected in a paper grocery sack or a cardboard box. |
| Q. | Do I have to remove staples, paper clips, envelope windows or clasps from my mixed papers-office, school or other? |
| A. | No, removal of these items is not necessary as the process of remaking paper will screen and remove these items from the finished product. |
| Q. | Whom do I call if my recyclables were not picked up on my scheduled day? |
| A. | A resident may all the customer service number to contact the contractor direct at 299.0500. The district will also notify the contractor if you phone them regarding the missed stop. The contractor has twenty-four hours to respond to a missed pick up notice. |
| Q. | Why isn't Styrofoam recyclable in my residential curbside program? |
| A. | The availability of markets determines if communities will collect certain recyclable materials. Presently the markets for styrofoam are poor and unavailable in our area. Please contact the suppliers and manufacturers and ask them to minimize their use and production of this number 6-coded plastic. Packaging peanuts can be reused! Contact your local area boxing and shipping companies to see if they will accept your clean and undamaged styrofoam peanuts. |
| Q. | Where can I take my recyclable materials if I will be gone or I missed my designated time/day? |
| A. | A drop off option is available for all material collected at the curbside. Located at 1519 S. Franklin St., South Bend, IN 46613. South Bend Waste Paper is open between the hours of 8:00 and 4:30, Monday thru Friday. Please call 234-7181 for more information. |
| Q. | What is considered a Hazardous Waste? |
| A. | A Hazardous waste is any solid, liquid or gaseous material that you no longer have any use for |
| Q. | How can I reduce the amount of Household Hazardous Waste (also referred to as HHW) that I produce? |
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Read the label of all products that you purchase and make sure it will produce the outcome you are looking for.
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| Q. | How do I classify a material as a Household Hazardous Waste? |
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* It is Ignitable * It is a corrosive * It is Reactive |
| Q. | What services are provided by the Household Hazardous Waste Program? |
| A. | The St. Joe County Solid Waste Management District offers an on-going collection for all St. Joe county and surrounding county residents for disposal of HHW material. Material that is accepted at the facility |
| Q. | Who can use this service? |
| A. | The facility is open to any RESIDENT of St. Joseph County or any neighboring counties as long as a household generated the material. |
| Q. | Who cannot use this service? |
| A. | Any material that is business generated may not use this facility to dispose of the material. BUSINESSES MAY NOT USE THE FACILITY. |
| Q. | Does the HHW facility take items such as Washing Machines, Water Heaters, Refrigerators, and Dryers ECT? |
| A. | No we do not. You can contact you trash hauler to get information regarding pick-up of these items. |
| Q. | Is cooking oil accepted at the facility? |
| A. | We will accept cooking oil but this is not a Hazardous Waste and can be disposed of in your trash. |
| Q. | What do I do with batteries? |
| A. | We accept household batteries at the facility. Alkaline batteries that have been manufactured in the United States starting in the late 1990's and early 2000 no longer contain Mercury and are safe to landfill. Any other batteries that contain Mercury, zinc, nickel cadmium, lithium and lead are hazardous to landfill and are accepted at the facility. |
| Q. | What about automobile batteries? |
| A. | You can take these to any automobile company in St. Joe County that specializes in Car batteries. For information on companies in the area please contact the district. |
| Q. | What do I do with Propane Tanks? |
| A. | Please contact the district for further information. |
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In May 2002, the Solid Waste Management District Board approved an annual maximum 3 month* credit for:
This credit will not be granted until the home has been unoccupied for 3 months. You will need to apply for this credit by filling out a Special Consideration form. You are required to submit proof. This credit will not be granted until the home has been unoccupied for 3 months. This credit adjustment is only available if the home is unoccupied and remains so for a three month period. (*6 month credit applies for assisted living and estate status.) |
| Q. | I recently sold my home. Am I responsible for th Recycling bill received in my name? |
| A. | The bill must be paid by the due date shown on the statement either in January or July. Billing requirements are for the full 6 month advance billing amount. For reimbursement of billing charges, take the bill with you to closing so the buyer can reimburse the unused or prorated portion of the mandatory fee. You will need to contact our office so we can mark your account inactive once you have sold and provide the new owner’s names and the closing date, as we are not linked to the County property tax records. |
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