Simple Recycling brings household goods recycling to your curb

Used clothing, knick knacks, dishes, towels, tablecloths -- if you never get around to taking these kinds of items to Goodwill or another non-profit, don't throw them away! The new GREEN BAG project from Austin Resource Recovery means that you can just put them in your green bag on your curb with your recycling bin on your normal recycling day, and they will be reclaimed by Simple Recycling, an Ohio-based company that is partnering with cities around the US, to resell your cast-off goodies in the US or abroad, or turn them into sound deadening material etc.

Here's a quick run-down of the program. Please send additional questions to csarendt @ yahoo . com!

Where can I get a green bag?
You should have received two bags and a green sticker in the mail in a mailing about the program shortly after Thanksgiving.

If you didn't receive the mailer, you can contact Simple Recycling for bags and a sticker on their website or by phone at 866-835-5068. I also have a roll of green bags - email me, and I'll deliver some to you.

What can I put in the green bag?
Anything made of fabric, all kinds of toys, dishes/knick knacks, etc. Fabric should be clean and dry, but it can be in poor repair (holes, etc). The items accepted are listed on the front of the green bag itself. Consider stashing a green bag in your closet to remind you to put in items of clothing or shoes that you no longer use!

Things with a cord (dead toasters, working TVs, etc) should not go in the green bag. They are better delivered to the Recycling and Reuse Drop-off Center.

Some items I put in my green bag last Wednesday for pick-up at the curb.

What is the sticker for?
If you have items that you don't want to put in the green bag, you can put them in a box and put the sticker on it so that the Simple Recycling van driver knows to pick it up

Where should I put the green bag on my recycling day?
Put it about 5 feet away from your trash bin and your recycling bin in a spot that will be easy for the van driver to spot as he drives through the neighborhood looking for green bags.

If I put a green bag outside, where will I get a new one?
When you put out a bag, the van driver will leave you a new one (or two) on the handle of your recycling bin, so make sure to leave your blue bin outside until your green bag has been picked up! Currently stickers are not replaced in this way. I'm working on getting a stash of them. You can also request more by contacting Simple Recycling.

What happens to my stuff after it gets picked up?
Since this is a new program to Austin, items collected here are currently trucked to Houston for sorting. Eventually Simple Recycling plans to open a local sorting facility. As many of the items as possible are sold to markets within the US, and the rest is resold overseas. Around 5% of what is collected may end up in a landfill, but 95% is likely to be reclaimed for use (vs. 0% if you just threw it in the trash!).

Learn more from Austin Resource Recovery's website on the service here

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