How can you recycle when your apartment doesn’t?

By Vivian El-Salawy on April 24, 2017

Many college apartments do not recycle, whether it’s for monetary reasons or simply because they can’t afford the space for the designated bins. Studies at BYU provide that on average, it costs $40 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 to incinerate it. That being said, many college students are not willing to go out of their way to recycle a few items. However, recycling really does make a huge difference. According to American Chemistry, half of Americans say they recycle 75% or more of recyclables, however a mere 8% of Americans claim that they recycle all recyclables. How can you recycle when your apartment doesn’t?

First, learn how to recycle.

In Leon County, all recyclables can go into one container. This is called single stream recycling. This includes paper, cardboard, recyclable steel, aluminum, glass and plastic containers into one bin. You know what that means? Recycling is even easier for you!  However, there are common misconceptions about what you can and cannot recycle. You cannot recycle: Styrofoam, plastic bags, candy wrappers, juice and milk cartons, medical sharps, and lightbulbs and electronics (those can be recycled at Leon County Household Hazardous Waste).

Image via Leon County

When you recycle bottles and containers, simply rinse them. You are not able to recycle contaminated cardboard (used napkins, pizza boxes, etc.). Break down cardboard boxes to make it easier to conserve space, whether it is in a personal or public bin. Refrain from putting plastic bags into recycling bins. If you have boxes larger than 3×3 feet, bring them to Leon County Solid Waste Facility. For more information, visit www.leoncountyFL.gov/Recycling.

Second, where can you take your recycling if your apartment complex doesn’t have a bin?

There are a variety of publicly accessible recycling multi-centers located around Tallahassee, some of which aren’t far from Florida State University and local college apartment complexes.

Leon County provides the following locations:

Renaissance Building
435 N. Macomb St.
Central

St. John’s Episcopal Bookstore
131 N. Calhoun St.
Central

Four Points by Sheraton
316 W Tennessee St.
Central

The Sharing Tree
218 E 3rd Ave.
North

Miccosukee Rural Waste Service Center
13051 Miccosukee Rd.
Northeast

Black Dog Café
229 Lake Ella Dr.
Northwest

Woodville Rural Waste Service Center
549 Henry Jones Rd.
South

Leon County Solid Waste Management Facility
7550 Apalachee Pkwy.
Southeast

Ft. Braden Rural Waste Service Center
2485 E. Joe Thomas Rd.
Southeast

Tallahassee Solid Waste Services Office
2727 Municipal Way
West

Railroad Square Art Park
694 Industrial Dr. #4A
West

Image via Leon County

Lastly, what if you want to bring recycling to your apartment complex?

The first thing that you can do is contact your property manager directly. You can write a formal e-mail, however if recycling is an issue that is truly important to you, consider meeting with your property manager face to face and respectfully inquiring about recycling at your complex. Some complexes may be located outside of city limits, or their structural nature does not allow for a bin to be located anywhere on its property – but that is often a rarity.

Image via Trinity Property Consultants Blog

The next step would be to contact the City of Tallahassee. Contact information can be located at www.tal.gov. There, you can request curbside pick-up, access the pick-up schedule, and inquire about recycling in your area. However, if you work your tail off to provide recycling to your neighborhood and it doesn’t work out, encourage your neighbors to visit your local recycling centers! You can drop off your recycling at the Leon County Solid Waste Management Facility from 8PM to 5PM Monday through Saturday. Recycling is something that not only will better the community that you are in, but it will better the world as a whole. Every individual effort will help it become a collective one. For more information, you can visit www.LeonCountyFL.gov/Recycling.

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