Commercial recycling changes to allow for comingled material, residential to follow

DM Disposal and Recycling’s commercial customers on Vashon will have a simplified recycling process and can comingle materials, including glass, for pickup, as of today, Wednesday.

The disposal company, under the umbrella of Waste Connections, announced the change Monday and, in a news release, stated the same change will be coming for residential customers later this year. The change is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to improve recycling services.

“We will no longer be requiring our customers to separate … recyclable materials,” the release indicates. “Recycle customers will be permitted to mix all of their recyclables, including glass, into the same container.”

The change will also affect businesses using the company’s cardboard-only recycling service. That service will end as of April 1. All recycle service will be set to handle comingled items.

Throughout the months of March and April, recycling containers will be re-stickered with information describing the new program. However, recyclables, including glass, can be mixed together and recycled before the container is re-stickered.

Recyclables accepted in containers include newspaper, magazines and catalogs, miscellaneous paper, white computer paper, phone books, flattened cardboard, aluminum and tin cans, plastic bottles and milk jugs and glass. Plastic bags cannot be accepted.

There will be no rate change for the service upgrade.

While the change to the recycling service was made by DM Disposal, Vashon’s waste reduction organization, Zero Waste Vashon (ZWV), applauded the effort.

“It’s something relatively generic, but Zero Waste Vashon supports the enhancement of better collection and sorting systems,” ZWV’s Gib Dammann said.

For more information, contact Waste Connections’ Nick Perry at 253-344-9300 or NickP@wasteconnections.com.