Residential Recycling

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Swatco provides every other week recycling in the Rural areas of Washington County.

      Battery recycling is now available in your glass bin at no additional cost.

Household batteries are now accepted for recycling at the curb for no additional charge. 

Batteries will need to be prepared properly and placed in your glass bin on your regularly scheduled glass pick-up day. Read below for details: 

   Batteries accepted: 

• Alkaline batteries (ex. AAA, AA, D)

• 6-volt - 9-volt batteries

• Button cell batteries

• Rechargeable batteries (ex. NiMH, NiCD)

• Lithium batteries  

Batteries NOT accepted:

 • Battery back-up (UPS) units

 • Car batteries

 • Lead-acid batteries

 Preparation: Button cell, 6-volt—9-volt, rechargeable batteries and lithium batteries need ends taped.  Alkaline batteries (ex. AAA, AA, D) do not need ends taped. Place batteries in a 1-quart zip-sealed plastic bag and place the bag in the glass bin for collection. If your bin is full of glass, place the bag of batteries on top of the glass.  

Batteries are collected on the same schedule as your glass recycling. Limit of a single 1-quart bag per pick-up.  

 Place the following items all together in the grey recycling carts with blue lids:

- Newspapers

- Magazines

- Scrap Paper

- Milk Cartons

- Metal Cans

- Aerosol Cans

- Scrap Metal

- Plastic Bottles with necks (i.e. Milk jug is OK, but no food trays or plastic bags), plastic tubs (yogurt, butter etc) Plastic buckets, and rigid 4 inch diameter and larger plastic planting pots.

DO NOT PUT PLASTIC BAGS, PLASTIC FILMS, CLAM SHELL FOOD PACKAGING, TOYS OR STYROFOAM IN YOUR RECYCLE CART! To find a paint care location to take wet paint follow the link Paint Care Locator.

Wet Paint is not allowed in garbage or recycle containers.

On The Side

Place motor oil and glass to the side of the red recycling bins as follows:

Motor Oil: Pour used motor oil into a "see-through," unbreakable container with a screw top lid, the used oil must be clearly visible to the driver so that he can easily determine that only used motor oil is included with no other liquid contamination. No other liquids will be accepted. Place next to your red recycling bins.

Glass: GLASS BREAKS! When mixed with other recyclables,

machinery and pose a safety hazard to workers. 

Remove lids, rinse thoroughly, and place glass in a rigid container (bucket or bin) to separate glass from other materials. Place bucket next to the red recycling bins.  Do Not Place Glass in Paper or Plastic Bags!

No broken glass, cookware, window glass, mirrors, light bulbs, or drinking glasses.

Materials Not Accepted in Residential Recycling

Proper preparation is important to make recycling work. Do not place these into your residential recycling. For information about how to recycle these items or other “hard to recycle items,” contact Metro Recycling Information Center at (503) 234-3000 

Plastic Bags: Do not place plastic bags in recycling containers - they jam machinery and disrupt operations at the processing facility. Intead, recycle used plastic bags at grocery stores. 

Plastic Caps, Lids and Tops: No plastic caps, lids, or tops accepted in residential recycling. These items tend to "nestle" inside paper products headed for the paper mill . Those that are less than 2" in diameter and don't mix with paper, tend to falll through the sorting screens.

Transparent plastic deli containers and bakery/vegetable "clamshell" or blister packaging (think of rigid packaging requiring a knife to open) are not part of the residential recycling program.

Block Styrofoam or Peanuts:

Styrofoam may be accepted at Far West Fibers recycling depot for a nominal fee.  Contact 503-234-3000 

Reuse Idea: Styrofoam peanuts can often be taken to local mailhouses for reuse.