Sorting Out Your Blue and Brown Bins

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When most people think of the San Antonio River, they think of the famed Riverwalk that winds through the heart of the city. But the river that snakes its way through downtown is also main hub of the San Antonio River Basin, an intricate network of creeks, streams, watersheds and ecosystems spanning from Brackenridge Park to the river’s confluence with the Guadalupe River, ten miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

The San Antonio River Basin encompasses a drainage area of over 4,180 square miles that flows through five South Texas counties: Bexar, Goliad, Karnes, Refugio and Wilson. In Bexar Country, major tributaries that eventually join the San Antonio River include Leon Creek, the Medina River, Cibolo Creek and Salado Creek.

It’s undeniable that the San Antonio River Basin is a complex, interconnected ecosystem that is highly susceptible to pollution. No matter where you live in Bexar County, you live within a giant watershed.

Improperly disposed of trash and waste may eventually end up in the same network of creeks and rivers that flow toward the Gulf Coast, whether it be loose trash that gets carried away in rain run-off or pollution from our landfills that seeps its way into our water system.

Fortunately, the City of San Antonio's Automated Garbage and Recycling Program makes it easy for residents to minimize the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills and greatly reduce the potential pollution that may find its way into our waterways.

By 2010, most single-family households within San Antonio’s city limits have received the 96-gallon brown and blue bins to easily separate their bagged garbage from their loose recyclables. But many households are still confused on what recyclable items can and cannot be placed in the blue bins.

So what can you recycle in those BLUE BINS?

Paper

Most types of paper are accepted in the blue recycling bins, including:

Ad circulars
Catalogs
Magazines
Newspapers
Carbonless paper
Dry goods packaging without the plastic liners (e.g. cereal boxes, beer/soda cartons)
Envelopes
File folders
Flattened cardboard
Office paper
Paperback books
Paper bags
Paper towel/toilet paper cores
Phone books
Non-metallic gift wrap

Shredded paper, paper towels, facial tissue and toilet paper and wet paper ARE NOT acceptable materials for the blue bins. However, you can recycle paper towels and tissue in your compost bins or dispose of them in the brown bins.

Residents who are concerned about identity theft and prefer to shred their personal paperwork and mail can take their shredded paper to a number of paper recycling locations. For example, Greenstar, located at 3003 Aniol Street near the AT&T Center, accepts shredded paper, Monday through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is a minimum charge of $25 for up to 360 pounds of paper, and an additional charge of $.12 per pound afterward.

Plastic Containers

Plastic bottles and materials labeled #1 through #7 are accepted. (For an explaination of the different plastic types, click here.)This includes many common household items such as:

Beverage bottles
Shampoo and lotion bottles
Meat trays
Condiment bottles
Empty prescription and medicine bottles.

Be sure to rinse out these materials for any remaining foods or liquids and to remove the lids.

Plastic Wraps and Bags

Plastic utensils, packaging and bags, such as freezer bags or shopping bags, CANNOT be placed in the blue bins. Most of these materials do not have the proper labeling to determine the plastic resin of which it is made, making it difficult for recyclers to properly sort.

Most H-E-B and Wal-Mart locations accept the plastic materials, including shopping bags, for recycling.

Glass Bottles and Jars

All glass bottles and jars are accepted in the blue bins.

However, lids must be separated from the jars and all containers should be rinsed out.

Metal Cans

Aluminum, steel and tin beverage and food cans are accepted and should be rinsed out.

You may also recycle aerosol cans, but be sure to they are empty and the nozzle is removed.

Rinsed baking tins are also recyclable in the blue bins.

Unaccepted Items

Organic waste, such as brush, grass clippings and food waste should not be put in the blue bins. These items can be incorporated into a compost bin. Bagged clippings can also be placed in the brown bin. The City of San Antonio also has a brush recycling center, located at 1800 Bitters Road.

Hazardous was such as batteries, motor oil and household cleaners are also not accepted. However there are several ways which we will share in the coming weeks to dispose of these items properly, so they do not end up in our landfills or water system.

Biomedical waste such as syringes must never be placed in the blue recycle bin.

Metal coat hangers should not be placed in the blue bins, however they can be recycled at any Pilgrim Cleaners locations.

Other items that are not accepted include wet waste, diapers, water hoses and wax-coated paper drink containers. These items should always be bagged and placed in the brown bins.

In the coming week's we'll share how you can recycle other common household items that are not accepted in the residential blue bins, so that we can ensure this waste and pollution does not end up in our creeks and rivers.