The City of Laramie is now two months into their new curbside recycling program. The single stream program means that all recyclable materials go in the same bin which is emptied every other week. As residents adjust to this new option, here are a few tips to make sure you are taking advantage of recycling.

  • Put all your recyclables in the bin together. In addition to meaning you don't have to sort the materials, it also means do not bag your recyclables. Plastic bags are not a recyclable material in this program.
  • Recycle food boxes, boxboard, newspapers, brown paper bags, phone books, book catalogs, magazines, junk mail, cardboard, aluminum foil and trays, office and school paper, cans, and plastic bottles and containers #1-#7. All of these items can be put in your curbside recycle bin.
  • Use Ark Recycling Services for glass, green waste, e-waste, and household hazardous waste. In order to have a single stream recycling program, these material must be recycled through other means in Laramie.
  • Put your recycling container in the same collection area used for waste collection. Recycling collection takes place on the same day as you waste collection, but only occurs every other week.
  • Food waste goes in the garbage, and recyclable materials that have been contaminated with food waste (i.e. pizza boxes) are no longer recyclable materials.

When the city council approved this curbside recycling program, they cited a main reason for implementing the program as extending the life of landfill cells. Recycling also reduces landfill cost by saving space. A Solid Waste Study presented to the City Council estimated that a city-wide recycling program would keep up to 5,000 tons of material out of the landfill and extend cell life by about 20 percent.

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