Mayor Walsh Announced Distribution of 42,500 New Recycling Carts

By the middle of October, all households citywide will have new covered recycling carts

Recycling pick up switches to every other week beginning Oct. 13

The Recycling Partnership, with support from American Beverage Association, helped fund the program

The City of Syracuse is taking the next step in its sanitation modernization program. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the Department of Public Works began delivering new recycling carts to 42,500 households across the city beginning Monday, October 7. The distribution of carts is planned to take about ten days. Residents should begin using them right away.

"Building on the success of our trash cart rollout using semi-automated pickup last year, these wheeled and covered blue carts will make it easier for everyone in the city to recycle. It will also help keep our city clean by containing materials and preventing them from blowing around. Transforming our sanitation services has been a huge undertaking, and I'm grateful for the way in which our constituents and our DPW crews are making the change."

The new 96- gallon carts are delivered at no additional charge to all residential properties. The carts come with instructions on how to use them and what to do with old blue bins. Residents can access online versions of the instructions in four languages (Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Nepali) at syr.gov/carts. Property owners in need of disability exemptions can contact Cityline at 315-448-CITY (2489) to request special accommodations.

About one quarter of the $3 million program cost is funded by a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a non-government organization advancing the circular economy by building a better recycling system in U.S. communities and states. With support from the American Beverage Association's "Every Bottle Back" initiative, The Recycling Partnership awarded the grant to Syracuse because of the City's dedication to advancing recycling in the community.

Setout instructions

Starting the week of October 13, the City will be collecting recycling every other week (biweekly). Trash will still be collected on a weekly basis (every week). The city mailed notices to all properties receiving sanitation services. Mailers informed residents of their A-Week and B-Week designations for recycling pickup. Residents can also go on syr.gov/carts and enter their address on the map to confirm if their recycling is collected on Week A or Week B. Recycling carts will not be emptied on off weeks.

For trash and recycling setouts, carts must be placed at the end of the driveway or between the sidewalk and the street. Carts should be placed out no earlier than 6 p.m. the day before collection, and no later than 6 a.m. the day of collection. The lid must be securely closed at the time of collection.

Only unbagged items can be placed in the recycling carts. Residents no longer need to sort recyclable items; they can simply place all recyclables directly into the larger recycling container. Recyclables cannot be placed outside of carts. The City will issue warnings for improper setouts for the remainder of 2024. Enforcement, including fines for violations that aren't corrected, will begin in 2025. For an item that does not fit in a trash or recycling cart, including tires and furniture, please call Cityline at 315-448-CITY (2489) to request a bulk pickup. Residential units are allowed four bulk pickups per year. If a resident does not request a bulk pickup, then any material outside of the carts will not be collected and the property will be cited for an illegal setout. An illegal setout may incur a fine.

Only recyclable materials can be placed in recycling carts, including glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, food and beverage cartons, empty plastic bottles and containers, and paper products (including newspapers and flattened cardboard). To help limit contamination, containers with food and drink residue should be rinsed before being placed directly into the recycling cart. Some items that cannot be recycled include plastic bags, paper towels, pizza boxes, electrical equipment, batteries, and clothing. These items often get mixed into recycling carts because of a well-intentioned consumer practice known as "wishcycling," or the hope that they can be recycled. These items should be disposed of as trash.

For more information on what can and can't go into the cart, visit ocrra.org/recycling/.

More information on the recycling cart rollout is available at syr.gov/carts.

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