Overview

Since 1990, Wisconsin’s recycling law requires that all residents and businesses recycle to avoid materials being buried in a landfill.

Program Guidelines

City residents place everything together loose in the green recycling cart, including mixed paper, newspapers, magazines, cut up cardboard, junk mail, and other recyclable papers along with commingled items - metal food/beverage cans, all plastic bottles and tubs, and glass bottles. All recyclables must be placed inside the green recycling cart.

To ensure that recyclables are picked up, the recycling cart must be placed at the end of your driveway or alley within two feet of the street or alley and at least three (3) feet from any object (tree, car, or other cart) by 7:00 a.m. on your recycling collection day. GFL Environmental will take the recyclables to a sorting facility to sort paper and other items, process them, and transport them to an end market. Those markets turn the recyclables into other products that residents and everyone else can buy. The City of Glendale receives a portion of the revenue from GFL Environmental from the sale of recyclables. Please recycle as this reduces City costs.

What's Recyclable?

GFL Environmental currently accepts plastic types 1 through 7. To determine the number on your plastic container, turn the product over and look for the recycling symbol, a triangle with a number from 1 to 7 inside. That number is the Resin Identification Code, or RIC. Each number represents a different type of plastic.

Products labeled Code 1 and Code 2 typically include milk, soft drink, and soda bottles; plastics from cereal boxes; containers for salad dressing, vegetable oil, and peanut butter; oven-ready meal trays; butter and margarine tubs; and containers for laundry detergent and some household cleaners. Products labeled with Code 4 and Code 5 typically include squeezable bottles, bread wrappers, frozen food bags, dry cleaning bags, yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, some straws, and prescription bottles.

Products labeled with Code 3, 6, or 7 typically include window cleaner and dish-washing detergent bottles, some shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, plastics used in most blister packs, disposable coffee cups, polystyrene, plastic egg cartons, aspirin bottles, and compact disc cases.

Code 6 is accepted only in the clear form – not the foam. Therefore, Styrofoam in not accepted at this time.

As a reminder, do not recycle it until it is clean!

Contact

For more information, or if your cart is in need of repair, please contact the Department of Public Works Department at (414) 228-1710.

Recycling:

Recycling Program
Certain items are never picked up at the curb, either as special or regular collections. These items include:

Prohibited Items:

Latex, Oil, or Lead Paints

Latex paint must be completely used up or dried out. The empty or dry cans of latex paint can be collected with regular garbage. Oil or lead-based paints must be disposed of at the MMSD collection site.

Disposal of Prescription Medications

The Glendale Police Department plans to participate in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Drug Take-Back Initiative program in 2015. More information on this program will be posted on the City’s website and the Spring Newsletter.

Tires

Used tires and car batteries should be taken back to retailers or to private scrap dealers.

E-Waste

Solid & Hazardous Waste Education Center (SHWEC) University of Wisconsin-Extension

Contact

For more information, please contact the Department of Public Works at (414) 228-1710 or GFL Environmental at (262) 679-0860.