Columbia Springs

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How to Recycle

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Residential Recycling


As humans, we generate lots of "stuff." Caring for our planet, our health, and our community means making sure the stuff we don't use, need, or want anymore is whenever possible, reused or recycled, and finally properly disposed of.

In Clark County, private companies, under contract to the county and/or to cities within the county provide recycling collection, sorting, processing, and marketing services. Contracted haulers provide residential recycling collection in the cities and throughout the county.

There are no active public landfills in the county. Most waste from Clark County is barged up the Columbia River to the Finley Buttes landfill near Boardman, Oregon. Three garbage transfer stations offer free drop-off of recycling materials during all business hours and free drop-off of household hazardous wastes on specified dates each month. The transfer stations are: 

West Van Materials Recovery Center

Central Transfer Recycling Center

The Washougal Transfer Station.

Household Hazardous Wastes

Many household products (herbicides, pesticides, toxic cleaning products, paint, etc.) contain hazardous chemicals that can, if not properly disposed of, threaten your drinking water and health, contaminate waterways and harm pets and wildlife.

If you live in Clark County, there are many opportunities to properly dispose of hazardous waste from your household. You can take it to any one of the three transfer stations.

Or, if none of those are convenient, you can download a list of upcoming HHW collection events. Download flyer here and find the one that is closest to you.

Compact flourescent (CFL) light bulbs are considered hazardous waste. They contain mercury and it is important to dispose of them properly - i.e. not in your trash bin. Dispose of CFLs at any of the many locations listed at this link.

To learn more about how to identify household hazardous waste (HHW) in your own home, go to What is Household Hazardous Waste?

Curbside Recycling

Curbside recycling is available to ALL residents of Clark County. In some cities and urban growth areas, curbside recycling is mandatory. In all areas, recycling is picked up on the same day as garbage (self-haul garbage customers are given a recycling schedule). Residents are assigned a pick-up day when they sign up for garbage service.

 

How do I know who my recycling service provider is?

In all areas of Clark County except the greater Woodland area, contact Waste Connections, Inc. (360) 892-5370 or email customerhelp@wasteconnections.com.

If you live within the City of Woodland, contact Waste Control at (360) 225-7808.

Vancouver uses roll carts for residential curbside recycling

What goes in the recycling cart? See chart below.

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Into the Cart:

    Plastics: clean plastic bottles; yogurt, margarine and other clean tubs; and 5-gallon or less nursery pots and buckets.

    Metal: Aluminum, clean metal/tin cans and lids; clean foil pie plates and trays; empty aerosol cans; and other small metal items. 

  • Newspapers
  • Mixed paper: mail, office paper, magazines, catalogs, cereal boxes, rinsed milk and juice boxes, small cardboard boxes

On top of or beside the rollcart:

  • Batteries, antifreeze and motor oil:
  • Put your used motor oil or antifreeze in a 1-gallon, clear plastic jug with a screw cap and place them next to your “glass only” bin early on the morning of recycling collection. If possible, clearly mark the jug as used oil or used antifreeze.
  • To recycle household batteries -- AA, AAA, C, D, Lithium, Mercury, Ni-Cad – put batteries in a clear, re-sealable plastic bag and place them on the lid of your recycling cart.
  • Glass and bottles: Do not put in rollcart. Broken glass damages the recycling equipment and is a hazard for recycling workers. Place glass in a small bin beside the cart.

Never, ever in the cart:

  • Plastic bags and film plastic. These get wrapped around recycling sorting equipment. Recycle these at the grocery store. Or better yet, use reusable shopping bags.
  • Glass and bottles: Do not put in rollcart. Broken glass damages the recycling equipment and is a hazard for recycling workers. Place glass in a small bin beside the cart.

 

 

These plastic materials CANNOT be placed in your recycling cart:

 

Lids from plastic containers aren’t recoverable through the sorting system and should not go in the cart.

Styrofoam™

Plastic take-out containers from restaurants.

Grocery produce “clamshells” such as used for cherry tomato or berry containers; and no plastic bags.

Block foam can't go in the bin, but is accepted at EmpowerUp/Habitat for Humanity at 5000 E. Fourth Plain Boulevard. Bring your block foam to the Empower Up Donation drop off site located at the back of the store. Drop off hours are from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Some plastics that don’t go in the recycling cart can be recycled

Some plastics like the ones listed above that are not accepted in your curbside cart can be dropped off at one of the local transfer stations. Check out www.recyclinga-z.com on the web to find recycling options for plastics not accepted at the transfer stations.

A community helping/ building idea that makes a difference:

Get together with your neighbors or neighborhood association to pool your recyclables or materials that cannot go in the rollcart, and take turns doing a run with them to the transfer station or a collection site. It's a great way to build community, save money and reduce individual car trips!

What about re-use?

EPA studies show that a community benefits from the creation of jobs from reuse. Keeping good stuff in use helps our community and is a smart thing to do.

If you have items you no longer want or need, consider if someone else could use them. This link will show you many of the thrift stores in Clark County that accept usable items.

Make a difference by supporting sharing and re-use in our community. Visit our links page for more ideas on reuse and creative upcycling.

Can I self-haul my own recycling?

Yes indeed. Both transfer stations will accept your self-hauled recyclables. West Van Materials Recovery Center offers a buy back program for some recyclable commodities. Please call (360) 737-1727 for specific information on the types of commodities accepted, minimum quantities to qualify, material preparation requirements and current buy back rates.

 

Other Items accepted for a fee:

  • Yard debris
  • Clean wood
  • Sheet rock
  • Appliances (best to donate working appliances to those who can use them.