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The Recycling Committee has been instrumental in setting up a drop-off recycling program in the Anthem at Merrill Ranch community. Beginning September 1, 2010, Abitibi (Paper Retriever) will be providing 4 drop-off containers at each the Parkside Community Center and Sun City Anthem Union Center. Residents are encouraged to bring their recyclable materials and put them in the containers. A portion of the revenue from Anthem's recyclable materials will be returned to the Association and go into the general operating account.

The Committee has also met with members of the Town of Florence and report that the Town is actively working on getting a curbside recycling program established in the next year. An RFP will be going out around September/October 2010 for the program.

Contact bwheeler8@cox.net for more information on the committee and the recycling program.

Recycling Program Flier

Recyclables Accepted	Do Include	Do NOT Include
PLASTIC BOTTLES	• #1 and #2 plastic bottle and jugs rinsed out, no caps	• Plastic grocery bags  •  Plastic food trays •  Prescription bottles •  Yogurt, cottage cheese or margarine containers •  Motor oil, transmission or brake fluid bottles •  Plastic hangers •  Bubble wrap •  Plastic cups
PAPER, NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINES	•  Shredded paper (please bag) •  Junk Mail (please bag) •  Newspapers and all inserts •  Magazines •  Catalogs •  Phone books	•  Food waste or packaging •  Blueprints •  Carbon paper •  Brown kraft paper •  Sticky notes •  Construction debris
CARDBOARD AND PAPERBOARD	•  Corrugated cardboard (3 ply) broken down and flattened •  Paperboard/chipboard (soda and beer cartons) flattened •  Brown paper bags	•  Packing paper or newspaper •  Strapping tape •  Bubble wrap •  Foam Packaging
ALUMINUM AND TIN CANS	•  Aluminum or tin cans washed or rinsed, no lids.	NO TRASH PLEASE

In an effort to keep our recycling bin clean and odor free...please rinse milk jugs, aluminum and tin cans if possible!

Please do not put your furniture, household items or other non-recyclables at the recycle bins.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central AZ will also come to your home and pick up:

Clothing

Shoes

Bedding items (no mattresses)

Draperies & curtains

Housewares and small furniture

Toys, games and tools

Radios and small appliances

To schedule a pickup, call 602-230-8900.

ANTHEM RECYCLING PROGRAM

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

 

Residents of Sun City and Parkside City are now able to recycle within the Anthem community.  There are drop off containers located in each of the communities for residents’ use to drop off their recycling materials.  The service is being provided by Abitibi under contract with the HOA.   Each community association will be paid individually for the materials that are recycled based on weight.  This Q & A has been developed to answer questions concerning the preparation of materials.

 

There will be separate containers provided for the following materials:

 

PAPER - Newspaper, Magazines, Catalogs, Writing Paper, Phone Books, Paperbacks,  

                Computer Paper, Junk Mail, Corrugated cardboard (flattened), Cereal & soap

                boxes, Shredded paper (tied in plastic bag and compressed). The Paper

    container is incorrectly marked, corrugated cardboard is accepted.

   

 

MIXED RECYCLABLES -Plastic bottles (clear, opaque, colored) and containers, tin

cans (i.e., used for vegetables, soup, pet food, tuna, pie plates), Aluminum –        beer and soda cans and clean aluminum foil.   Flatten large containers.

 

MATERIALS THAT CANNOT BE RECYCLED - The program cannot accept Styrofoam, aerosol cans, propane cylinders, glass, plastic grocery or produce bags (these bags can be disposed of at the grocery store).  Any cardboard or paper that has been contaminated – no pizza boxes or milk cartons, and no garbage.

 

Q. Can all the recycling materials be mixed together?  A. No. There will be separate drop-off containers for the two different categories of material that are accepted.  The drop off containers for the “Paper” category will be painted green/yellow and the container for the mixed recyclables (plastic, tin and aluminum) will be painted green/blue. The containers will be clearly marked on the outside for clarification.

 

Q. Can the various paper items (magazines, catalogs, computer paper, junk mail, cereal boxes) be mixed together?  A. Yes!  As long as they fall within the paper category listed above you can store them together and dump them into the Yellow and Green Container.

 

Q. Can plastic, tin and aluminum be mixed together? A. Yes. You can collect these together in one container and bring them to the drop off center and place them in the green and blue containers.

 

Q. Will I be provided a container to use at my home?  A. No. This is not that type of program but with just the two categories it should be relatively simple to sort materials.

 

Q. Why can’t we put them altogether like other communities?  A. This program is not a comingled program.  Abitibi has established various markets where they will be reimbursed based on the condition of the material that they collect.  These markets require source separation. Glass has a risk of contamination when mixed with paper,

plastics and tin cans.  Once contaminated all the materials have to be thrown out.

 

Q. Where does the recyclable paper go after it is picked up from the drop off container?  A. Paper materials placed in the container are sent directly to paper mills and are then remanufactured into newsprint within a few weeks of collection.

 

Q. How often will the bins be emptied?  A. The bins are emptied on a regular pickup schedule approximately every other week.  If necessary Abitibi can alter the schedule for an additional pickup based on usage.

 

Q. Are there special instructions for the preparation of the recyclables? A.  Yes…..

 

1. Corrugated - All cardboard boxes should be flattened/broken down so they can fit into the containers and allow others to use the drop off boxes for their materials.  Larger boxes should be cut down to a size manageable in the containers.

 

2. Shredded paper?  Shredded paper is the only exception to the no plastic bag rule.  Place the shredded paper into a plastic bag and tie it so that the shredded paper doesn’t become a maintenance problem.  Punch a few small holes into the bags to let the air out.

 

3. Can I use plastic bags to store my paper materials? Plastic bags cannot be placed in the drop off containers.   Newspapers can be loose or stored in brown paper sacks.

 

4. What about the liner in the cereal or cracker box? No. These liners are made of waxed material and should be removed before it’s flattened for disposal.

 

5. Is it necessary to wash out the plastic bottles, jugs and tin food cans?  Yes and No.  Remove any remaining food with a spatula.   Rinsing or washing is not needed nor is it necessary to remove labels. This is also a waste of water.

 

Q. Why no glass?  A. Abitibi can only accept materials when there is a market.  If glass is placed in the containers it can contaminate the other materials and can also be a hazard to the employees handling these materials.  NO GLASS!

 

Q. Is any plastic that has a recycling symbol with a number in it recyclable? A.  No.  There are a number of plastics such as food trays, clamshell deli containers, butter and yogurt containers for which there is currently no market. 

 

Q. How do the finances work?  A. There are scales on the Abitibi trucks that will pick up the materials.  Containers will be weighed and separate records will be kept for the materials dropped off at Sun City and Parkside.  The company will pay between $20-$28/ton to the respective community for the materials collected based on volume.

 

Q.  What will this money be used for?  A. The money received will be used to offset the operating costs of the two communities.

 

Q. Who is Abitibi?  A. AbitibiBowater Recycling Division operates under the trade name of Paper Retriever Recycling and is a free, community based program with approximately 25,000 collection points throughout North America and the United Kingdom.