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1. What materials are accepted in the recycling containers?

• Aluminum foil and foil products (rinsed, no baked-on food)
• Corrugated cardboard boxes (flattened and no larger than 3’ x3’)
• Food and beverage cans (rinsed)
• Glass bottles and jars
• Paper, brown paper grocery bags, magazines, newspaper (including inserts), telephone books, junk mail
• Paperboard items (pantry food boxes like cereal, cracker, cookie boxes, etc.)
• Plastic bottles, jugs and jars (rinsed, caps on loosely)

2. Why can't we put plastic bags in the recycling cart?

The plastic bags get stuck in the equipment at the processing plant. Please take your plastic bags to the grocery store to recycle them.

3. What do I do with extra recycling, such as cardboard, that won't fit inside the blue cart? Can I put it in a bag next to the cart?

Only recyclables inside the recycling cart can be collected. Anything placed outside of the cart will be left behind. Cardboard should be placed inside the cart and flattened to a size no larger than 3’ x 3’. Extra recyclables can be taken to one of the 6 drop-off sites located throughout the city:

• Main Street Library, 110 Main St.
• Fire Station #4, 13561 Jefferson Ave., near Ft. Eustis
• Fire Station #6, 685 Oyster Point Road
• Fire Station #10, 12455 Warwick Blvd.
• Briarfield Fire Station #7, 5844 Marshall Ave.
• Recovery Operations Center, 550 Atkinson Way (Mon-Sat, 8-4)

4. What if the lid comes off my blue recycling cart?

Please call 757-933-2311 so that a new lid can be put on your blue cart, free of charge, within 5 business days. You may leave your cart in its normal storage location as long as it is accessible (not locked behind a gate or in a garage).

5. What if I forget to set my blue recycling cart out on the day of my collection? Will they come by and collect it the following week?

No, if you miss your collection day, you will need to wait until your next regularly scheduled collection day or take it to one of the recycling drop-off sites.

6. What if my recycling container did not get emptied on my regular collection day, and I had my container out at the curb by 7 AM?

Please check first to make sure your container does not have a green tag notifying you of any reason why your container may have been rejected. If there is no tag, it is likely that your container was accidentally missed. Please call 757-933-2311 so that we can have the contractor empty your container.

7. What if my recycling container is not big enough?

If you consistently find that your container is not large enough for the amount of recyclables your household generates, first let’s determine if you are recycling properly. Below is a list of some items that people incorrectly place in their recycling containers:

• Styrofoam
• Yard waste (please compost)
• Wood
• Metals other than household cans
• Plastic bags (please take to the grocery store to recycle)
• Plastics other than bottles, jugs and jars
• Clothing and/or shoes (please donate if still in good condition)

If you are recycling correctly, and you consistently find that your recycling container is not large enough, we can provide a 2nd black recycling bin if you receive manual collection with an 18-gallon black bin, or we can upgrade your blue recycling cart from 64-gallon to 95-gallon. Residents who already have a 95 gallon cart, who are recycling properly, and still need more recycling space on a consistent basis can get a second recycling cart. There is no charge for this nor does it affect the Solid Waste fee. Please call 757-933-2311 for more information.

8. What happens if someone puts trash in their recycling container?

Trash that is placed in the recycling containers can contaminate a load of recyclables or jam up the processing equipment. That is why recycling containers found to be contaminated with trash will be rejected and tagged to notify the resident of the contaminant. Residents who repeatedly abuse the recycling program by placing trash inside their containers after notification could lose their access to the curbside recycling program.

9. What time will they be by my house to collect my recycling container?

Collection times may fluctuate, so your recycling container must be curbside by 7 AM on the day of your collection.

10. What if the recycling container is just too big for my backyard or garage and I don't want it.

Recycling is encouraged but not mandatory. Upon request, the city will retrieve the recycling container from your household, but you will only be able to recycle by using the drop off recycling centers.

11. If I choose not to recycle, does my solid waste user fee go down?

No, residents pay a weekly solid waste user fee based on the size of their garbage cart. The user fee covers the costs of all solid waste services provided by the city, including household garbage, bulk waste, recycling, composting, and household hazardous waste collection / disposal.

12. Can I put yard waste in my recycling container?

No, yard waste placed inside the recycling container is considered contamination and the container will not be emptied. For information on yard waste, call 757-933-2311, or the Compost Facility at 757-886-7947.

13. Are Pizza boxes recyclable?

Any part of the pizza box that is not greasy/cheesy/saucy is recyclable.

14. Why don’t you list the recycling numbers for the plastics?

The recycling number found on plastics in the recycling triangle is called a resin identification code (RIC).  Its purpose is to identify the type of plastic an item is made from, not its recyclability.  Unfortunately, many consumers believe any item with this recycling number means it is recyclable, so they put Styrofoam and plastic bags (which have these numbers) in their curbside recycling container.  Neither of these items is accepted in the Newport News curbside recycling program because of logistical or processing challenges.  Also, these codes are often very difficult to see or read on the plastic containers.  For these reasons, the recycling industry is getting away from using these numbers to identify recyclable plastics and instead are referring to the shape of the plastic container:  bottles, jugs and tubs.  For those residents who still want to use the RIC, Newport News accepts plastics #1 and #2 in the recycling program.