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Use reusable dishes, utensils, and/or napkins

Avoid using disposable dishes, utensils, and napkins. Instead, use reusable dishes at home, wash and reuse cloth napkins, pick up a set of washable items to keep at work, and purchase reusable containers to store food in the refrigerator. Going to a potluck or picnic? Take a set of your own dishes, utensils, and reusable containers rather than using disposable products. You can even consider investing in some reusable glass containers for leftovers, which are safer for microwaving and dishwashing repeatedly. Set a good example for kids by packing them “Waste Free Lunches.”

Properly dispose of used fluorescent light bulbs

Incorrect disposal of CFL bulbs and fluorescent tubes can result in mercury being released into the environment. The Common Market in Frederick and chains such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, IKEA, and MOM’s Organic Market provide free CFL recycling to customers.

In addition, fluorescent bulbs can be disposed of at free Frederick County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Days held at 5370 Public Safety Place, Frederick. For more information on drop-off days, call 301.600.1848.

Make sure to follow instructions for proper clean-up if you break a fluorescent bulb.

Recycle using curbside pick-up or recycling center drop-off

The average American produces about 4.5 pounds of trash each day, adding up to 1.5 tons each year. Though 75% of this waste is recyclable, only 30% is recycled. Many common trash items can be recycled, including paper, cardboard, glass, and appropriate plastics. But, some items cannot be included with curbside collection, such as snack food bags, plastic wrapping material, Styrofoam, PVC, and plastics without a recycling code.

Some Frederick County renters are not eligible for curbside pick-up recycling. Recyclable items can also be dropped off at the Frederick recycling center at 9031 Reich’s Ford Road open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For a full guide to Frederick County recycling, check out “A Citizen’s Guide to Waste Management in Frederick County.” Be sure that you don’t make any of the common recycling mistakes!

Visit LearnMoreRecycleBetter.org to sign up for the Frederick County recycling newsletter, request a free recycling bin for curbside pick-up, or upgrade your recycling bin to a larger size.

Create a recycling routine in your home in order to educate and prepare the next generation of recyclers. You can even borrow a recycling education kit for homeschooling, classrooms, scout groups, and youth groups.

Recycle specialty items, such as tires and electronics

Some specialty items cannot be included with your single stream curbside collection due to material make-up or safety issues. The Frederick recycling center at 9031 Reich’s Ford Road accepts oversized rigid plastics, flexible foam, appliances, air conditioners, scrap metal, automotive materials, yard waste, antifreeze, car batteries, and motor oil Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Exceptions include electronics and tires which must be brought into the main landfill entrance or other specialty recycling centers.

The Department of Solid Waste Management hosts free Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Days each year for Frederick County residents at 5370 Public Safety Place, Frederick. Hazardous waste drop-off items include: medicines, fuels, solvents, pesticides, mercury thermometers, and more. For more information on drop-off days, call 301.600.1848. For a full guide to Frederick County recycling, check out “A Citizen’s Guide to Waste Management in Frederick County.”

Electronics can be recycled at chain stores such as Best Buy, hhgregg, Office Depot, and Staples. Use the EPA Electronics Donation and Recycling search to find a location near you. Select computer manufacturers and cell phone stores also accept electronics for recycling. Check out this video to learn about why you should recycle electronics.

Check out Earth911 for additional Maryland locations for specialty recycling, or call 1.800.CLEANUP.

Donate and purchase used items, participate in swapping, and/or borrow items

Approximately 12 million tons of textile wastes, including used clothing, shoes, blankets, and more, are generated each year in the United States. You can reduce the contribution of used, but perfectly usable, items to landfills by donating and purchasing used items, swapping, and borrowing whenever possible.

Visit a local thrift or consignment shop to find used items like books, clothes, furniture, and toys that are inexpensive compared to new purchases. Find local thrift store locations at Frederick.com. Or check out online and printed resources such as newspaper classifieds for specific items.

Donate or purchase overstocked, discontinued, and used building supplies, appliances, cabinets, windows, doors, tools, electrical items, furniture, and water fixtures at Frederick Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Consider swapping goods with friends and neighbors or online at swap.com, barterquest.com, or thredup.com.

Learn more about the impacts of buying new “stuff” by watching the video “Story of Stuff.”

Compost at least 50% of your kitchen and yard waste

Composting is a beneficial way to use kitchen and yard waste that would otherwise contribute to a landfill. Instead, your nitrogen-rich kitchen scraps and grass trimmings mixed with sources of carbon, such as dead leaves and paper bags, can be turned into rich soil in a compost pile. Finished compost can then be used to enrich your garden soil. Learn more from our Tips for Green Leaders Composting Fact Sheet or check out this howdini video or an EPA GreenScapes video on composting.

Attend a composting workshop with the Frederick County Department of Solid Waste.  The Department also sells compost bins for $25 available for pick-up from 9031 Reichs Ford Road.

Learn more about compost bin types, including home-made bins and purchasable bins.

Interested in composting, but don’t have a lot of outdoor space? Vermiculture, or vermicomposting, is a method of composting that uses worms to break down organic waste. Kept in a small bin indoors, the worms produce castings, a rich fertilizer for house and garden plants. Bins can be home-made or purchased. To learn more, check out this Worm Composting 101 video or How to Make a Worm Bin video.

You can also leave newly cut grass on the yard after mowing as a type of composting. Known as “grasscycling,” this practice allows nutrients to be absorbed back into the soil so that your yard can stay healthy.