Fredericton Region Solid Waste encourages all of its approximately 140,000 customers over a 125-square kilometre area to recycle.
FRSW has used its blue and grey recycle box collection since 2001.
Over those two decades and continuing there has been only one change when milk, juice and soy cartons were introduced to the blue box, designed to host other plastics and aluminum cans.
From the store where you purchased your product to placing contents inside the blue or grey box to your curbside or depot collection to its arrival at FRSW’s Material Recovery Facility building at 1775 Alison Blvd., there are some hints and helpful guidelines to ensure your product arrives.
FRSW does not collect recycle boxes or your garbage.
It is the end destination.
Collection services such as FERO, GFL and independent contractors and haulers collect your curbside items which are asked to be outside by 7 a.m.
All of those haulers bring the recycle contents to FRSW and distribute the items to the recycle facility where it is sorted, baled and sold to markets across the world.
Your garbage goes to a baling facility on site where it is crushed, baled and taken to the landfill site to be buried.
Some may notice what appears to be haulers placing garbage and recycle items in the same truck. Those vehicles are equipped with dual compactors, one for garbage, one for recycling, so there are no worries all the items are going to be landfilled.
Here are some recycling tips for you:
*Fold and bundle all large cardboard items into 2X3 sections. Large cardboard items such as big screen televisions or home gymnasiums are too bulky to fit into narrow recycling slots.
* If your blue or grey box is full, you can use other smaller boxes as long as they contain the correct contents or you can use clear plastic bags. If you are looking at purchasing a wheeled dolly, please contact FERO at 472-3376 to see if trucks on your collection route are equipped with a mechanical lift arm.
*Glass and other contaminants such as oil, swimming pool chemicals and organics are not accepted in the blue or grey boxes. Swimming pools, toys and large toy structures are also not recycled products. Any plastics with the recycle symbol and the numbers 1 through 7 are accepted in the blue box.
*Ensure your items are visible to drivers, particularly during the winter months where snowbanks can obscure sightlines.
*FRSW is not a redemption centre for returnable bottles or cans under the New Brunswick Beverage Container Act. Please locate your nearest bottle redemption centre for return refunds.
*A handy website reference guide is https://frswc.ca/hours-rates/ which explains tipping fees and other program costs at FRSW. Many services are free such as recycling, household hazardous waste and scrap metal.