Montgomery County MUD 94 Residents: In a neighboring District, a fire broke out in a Republic Services recycling collection truck collecting residential recycling due to residents placing aerosolized items and oil-based products in the recycling cart. This is an extremely dangerous scenario, and we do not want it to happen in our district.
What causes garbage and recycling truck fires?
Truck fires are caused by improper material disposal in a recycling or trash cart. These materials can be incompatible and react when mixed with other waste in a collection truck and combust when compacted. The combination of incompatible chemicals, such as household bleach and ammonia, can be lethal to both the driver and residents.
What can I put in my recycling cart?
The following items are acceptable to put in a recycling cart
- Paperboard
- Brown paper bags
- Phone books
- Catalogs
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Junk mail
- Tin and steel cans
- Aluminum cans
- Office and school paper
- Cardboard – broken down
- Glass bottles and jars
- Plastics #1, #2, #5 and #7
- Cereal and food boxes
General rules for your recycling cart:
- Remove food/liquids and rinse recyclables before putting them into the recycling cart.
- Do not put recyclables in a plastic bag before putting them into the recycling cart.
- Do not put yard waste in your recycling cart.
- Do not put anything that isn’t listed above in your recycling cart.