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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Recycle Indianapolis?
Recycle Indianapolis is a comprehensive program designed to broaden recycling participation in Indianapolis through increased awareness and education by promoting ease of use, waste reduction and environmental responsibility through personal, neighborhood and citywide opportunities. Recycle Indianapolis includes, but is not limited to curbside and drop-off recycling, ToxDrop, eCycling, leaf collection and white goods.
What is curbside recycling?
Curbside recycling provides the convenience of a weekly pickup of your recyclables at your curb. Once you are enrolled in the curbside recycling program, you will be provided with an 18-gallon bin and your recycle day, which is often the same day as your trash collection. Simply place your recyclables in the bin and take it out to the curb by 7am for collection. Recycling has never been so easy!
How do I sign up for curbside recycling?
Call the Mayor's Action Center at 327-4MAC (4622). They will take your information and a recycling representative will contact you within 48 hours to confirm your subscription, provide you with your recycle day and inform you as to when your bin will be delivered.
What if my recycling is not picked up or I have problems with my collection service?
When the recycling representative contacts you to confirm your participation, they will provide you with a number to call to report problems or issues. If you forget that number, representatives from the Mayor's Action Center can tell you the name of your recycling contractor and provide you with the phone number.
Is there a fee for curbside recycling?
There is a nominal monthly fee of approximately $5.75 per month.
I don't want to pay for curbside recycling. Where can I take my recyclables?
The city of Indianapolis offers 28 FREE drop-off locations where you can take your recyclables. These sites are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A list of locations can also be found by clicking here.
What types of items can be recycled in the curbside or drop-off program?
Glass, #1 and #2 plastics, aluminum, tin and steel beverage and food cans, newspapers and magazines.
How do I know what type of plastic to recycle?
Typically on the bottom of the container there is a number within a triangle. If this number is a 1 or 2, it can be recycled.
Do I have to take the labels off tins and jars?
Labels do not have to be taken off as they get removed in the recycling process. However, please thoroughly rinse all bottles, jars and cans prior to putting them in your recycling bin.
Can I recycle can caps and tops?
Sure.
What about materials that are not a part of the curbside or drop-off program, such as cardboard and grocery bags??
For a complete listing of where to recycle just about anything in Indianapolis, please visit www.kibi.org/recycle.
Can I recycle phone books?
The pages of your phone book are so thin because the paper has already been recycled so many times that there is almost no fiber left in them. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is partnering with a local company to provide phonebook recycling options. Please visit their website at www.kibi.org/recycle to find out where to take your phonebooks.
Whether I subscribe to curbside recycling or utilize the drop-off containers, where do the recyclables go?
All materials collected through Recycle Indianapolis are taken to the Materials Recovery Facility where they are sorted, processed and shipped to companies that recycle them into items such as clothing, carpet, new aluminum cans, newspaper and cereal boxes, to name just a few.
How can I safely dispose of my old computer?
The City of Indianapolis offers eCycling. Our eCycles program will accept all cell phones, computers (laptop or desk model) and computer components including hard drives, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice and joy stick controllers, PC cards and circuit boards, PC speakers and microphones, USB devices, external power supplies and gaming accessories. These items can be dropped off at one of our four convenient ToxDrop locations.
What happens to the electronic items that are eCycled?
All computer equipment is recycled. The entire computer and its components are then broken down into individual materials (such as plastics, metals, glass, precious metals, etc.) and recycled.
What is ToxDrop?
As a service to our citizens, we offer a year-round "ToxDrop" collection program that makes it easier for Indianapolis residents to dispose of their household hazardous waste. The ToxDrop program helps Indianapolis residents make their homes safer while preventing damage to the environment.
What is household hazardous waste?
Some examples include paint, paint thinner, motor oil, thermometers, pesticides, detergents, bathroom cleaners and ammonia. For a list of acceptable ToxDrop items, click here.
What happens to the househould hazardous waste that is collected at the ToxDrop locations?
The materials that can be are recycled, reused, or treated. The remaining materials are disposed of through Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved disposal methods.
Why is leaf collection included in Recycle Indianapolis?
Every year, the Department of Public Works collects over 18,000,000 million pounds of leaves through its leaf collection program. Because leaves can be recycled into a useful end product, the leaves collected are composted, and the compost is then made available to the public free of charge. Compost can be used as a soil conditioner, potting soil or mulch. Using compost improves soil aeration, drainage and nutrient exchange - improving the health of lawns and helping gardens grow. Free compost from last year's program may now be available at Southside Landfill, 2577 S. Kentucky Avenue, 317.247.6808.
What are white goods?
White goods is the term for appliances such as washers, dryers and stoves, originally derived from the white porcelain finish of the appliances.
Are discarded white goods recycled?
Yes, they are. All white goods collected in the Department of Public Works collection districts as a part of residential trash collection are separated from the waste stream and taken to a metals recycling facility.
All white goods collected by the city's contractors as a part of residential trash collection are taken to Covanta, a modern waste-to-energy facility, where the metals are extracted from the end product (ash) and sent to a metals recycling facility for processing.
All appliances containing freon are collected by a separate truck and taken to a Department of Public Works facility. The freon is then extracted using EPA approved methods before the appliance is taken to a metal recycling facility.
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