Recycling
The majority of solid waste can be recycled and re-used over and over again. This saves landfill space and natural resources. Just by recycling paper, you can greatly decrease the material you personally place in the landfill. You may download the City’s "Going Green" Tip Sheet for more ideas on how to decrease your household’s waste load.
The City collects recyclables once each week. The City issues all residents roll-out recycling containers with lids. Recyclables are set out the SAME night as your trash, at curbside no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before collection. See the Collection Schedules & Zones page for more information. You may also call the Hagerstown Recycles Hotline at (301) 739-8577 ext. 106 with any questions on the City’s recycling program.
The City of Hagerstown uses a Single-Stream Recycling process. All of your recyclables can be placed together in the same container, no sorting is required!
In order to keep our recycling program viable, we must stop contamination at the curb.
Recycling is vitally important to our environment, and playing a key role in manufacturing supply chains. Learn more about why we need to recycle and the right way to recycle. Click Here
These items are recyclable:
- Aluminum food and beverage containers and aluminum foil and pie/baking tins, with food debris removed. Labels do not need to be removed
- Natural and pigmented plastic containers with symbols 1 - 7. Food debris needs to be removed, but labels do not have to be removed
- Ferrous (Iron, steel, tin) cans with food debris removed. Labels do not need to be removed.
- Newsprint – black and white or pigmented. Please do not place in plastic bags
- Construction paper, craft paper
- Fiber-board such as cereal boxes, shoe boxes, or similar
- Printer paper, computer paper, copy paper
- Junk Mail, magazines, catalogs and phone books
- Corrugated cardboard
- Empty gable-top milk and juice containers (quick rinse please)
- Aerosol cans
Set Out Procedures
- Place all recyclables in one container (no longer need to separate paper)
- Cardboard must be broken down to a size no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet. Pieces should be bundled, but if they are stacked, place them under the recycling container so they don’t blow away
- Cardboard larger than 3 feet by 3 feet will be taken as trash
These items are not recyclable:
- Wax coated paper (milk boxes ARE acceptable)
- Any material with substantial food debris (small trace amounts of food residue are okay)
- Glass bottles, jars, or containers
- Plastic Bags or films of any kind
- Batteries of any kind
- Household or appliance wiring, cell phone chargers, A/C adaptors, Christmas tree lights
- Styrofoam of any kind
- Light bulbs of any kind
- Mirrors, window or auto glass, porcelain, ceramics, glass cookware/bake ware, microwave oven trays, drinking glasses, perfume/cologne bottles
- Wood or Yard Waste
- Unnumbered plastics
- Coat hangers, Wire
- Household items such as toasters, cookware, bake ware, electronics, appliances, etc.
- Hazardous or toxic substances
- Items containing or having debris and residue containing hazardous or toxic substances such as paint cans with liquid paint, motor oil containers, gasoline cans, glue, petroleum products, etc.
Please refer to the Disposal of Prohibited Items page for information on how to dispose of some of these non-recyclable items.
The City offers three sizes of recycling totes: 35 gallon, 65 gallon, and 95 gallon