We all grew up with the “Three R’s”. You know the ones I’m talking about… Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We heard it over and over again as kids growing up. Maybe you even remember the television show “Captain Planet”… you know the green guy who’s going to bring pollution down to zero! Oh yes, it was a show and it was pretty popular. We all have the best of intentions. We want to recycle but we need it to be convenient. Thankfully, the city of Saint Petersburg understands and in the last year it has become easier than ever to recycle. In January, the city will go one step further as it expands its recycling program even more to include residents whose homes back up to alley ways.
Some of Saint Petersburg’s most luxurious homes back up to alley ways. There are several reasons for this but you’ll find it most typically in Old Northeast where alleys have been a standard since the neighborhood was built years ago. Last June, the city launched its recycling program. However, residents who have their regular trash picked up in the alley were not included in the initial launch. That’s finally changing, and beginning January 25, 2016 an additional 31-thousand homes will have the opportunity to have their recycling picked up in their alley.
The program has been tremendously successful and the amount of trash sent to the landfill has been reduced according to the city of St. Petersburg. In fact, the city says residents in St. Petersburg have also done a great job of making sure the items that go into the recycle bin are actually recyclable and there has been a much lower contamination rate on account of it.
Here’s how the new program will work:
If your trash is currently picked up in the alley than your recycling will also be collected in the alley.
If your trash is currently picked up on the curb than it will continue to be collected at the curb.
The city has created a video to help answer some of the frequently asked questions:
If you have additional questions you can call the Sanitation Department at 727.893-7838. This change will impact 31,000 homes in St. Petersburg.
Missed Your Scheduled Pick Up? No Problem!
If you forget to put out your recycling bin on your scheduled day – don’t worry! You can reschedule your recycling pickup by calling 727.893-7838. If you call before 4p.m. you may have your bin collected that day. If you call after 4 than your recycling will be picked up the following weekday.
Need a Reminder? There’s an App for That!
Recycling is picked up every other week. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember what day you are supposed to put that bin out! Well, the city of St. Petersburg has you covered with an app that offers personal reminders before your collection day and will even tell you when a holiday or even bad weather will impact your pickup schedule. Download the app here.
You can find out your scheduled pick up day by clicking here.
Also, remember the city wants to keep the streets looking as nice a possible. In order to accomplish this, you can place your container by the curb after 7 p.m. the night before collection and you are asked to have it removed by 7p.m. the day of your collection. You’ll need to place your bin to the side or back of your residence or in a garage if you prefer. Remember- these are the city guidelines. If you live in a neighborhood with a Homeowner’s Association than you might have separate rules. Contact your association for details.
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