Street Level Recycling

New recycling bins in Bethesda, MD.

Montgomery County provides recycling to both street-level and residential curbside pick up. The street-level recycling program in Bethesda is maintained by the Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP). The materials that can be recycled differ for each program. If you’re recycling in one of the bins on the street like the ones pictured here, follow these guidelines for whether or not your item can be recycled:

• YES – Aluminum, plastics numbered 1,2,3,4,5, and 7
• NO –  Glass, paper, coffee cups, and plastics with the number 6

Why can’t glass, paper, or coffee cups be recycled on the street? When collecting from street-level locations, the County uses a single-stream method in which all recyclable material is combined into one bin. Therefore, glass and paper contaminate the plastic recycling stream. When using the residential curbside program, the County uses a dual-stream recycling system. Paper products are kept separate from other co-mingled materials to ensure product quality. When using the designated street-level recycling bins, follow these guidelines to ensure you are recycling the correct materials. Scroll down to learn about guidelines for recycling at home.

For residential curbside pick-up services, the County uses a dual-stream recycling system in which papers and cardboard are collected separately from plastics and glass.  Most understand the importance of recycling, but often are not doing it correctly and according to County guidelines. If the wrong items are recycled it can cause damage to machinery and issues when selling the material to producers and manufacturers. Proper preparation of recyclables is important in maintaining an efficient recycling process.

Links to Montgomery County recycling guidelines:

blue bins – what goes into your blue bin

paper carts – what goes into your paper cart

scrap metal – see scrap metal recycling details

yard trim – see yard trim details for leaves, grass, and brush

When disposing of larger loads, you can bring any recyclables directly to the County’s Solid Waste Transfer Station located off of Shady Grove Road.

There are 61 recycling bins dispersed around the streets of Bethesda Maryland, 15 of them provided through the Bethesda Green recycling campaign. According to recycling data from Bethesda Urban Partnership, there has been a consistent increase in the amount of recycled material collected from street-level bins in downtown Bethesda over the last five years. This increase in recycling volume can be attributed to the expansion of several retail locations along with the installation of new bins. It is expected that over 15,000 lbs of recycled material will be collected by the end of 2021. Despite the pandemic, there was only a small decrease in recycling volume during the spring of 2020 but quickly rose to normal levels throughout the remainder of the year.

Data provided by Bethesda Urban Partnership

Montgomery County is home to the 57,000 square foot Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station that sits on nearly 9 acres of land located just south of Shady Grove Road. This center plays a crucial role in the recycling process. After preparing and disposing of your recyclable material at one of the street-level bins, it is collected and brought to the recycling center to be inspected, sorted, packaged, and shipped to plants where the material is repurposed. Waste paper is sent to paper recyclers, and yard trim is collected and then composted at the Montgomery County Yard Trim Compost Facility. The recycling process is complete when consumers purchase products that were made with the recycled material.

Click the button below to sponsor a bin and join us in our efforts to foster a cleaner and more sustainable future.

As a sponsor of the recycling program, you will be joining other companies, and several individual business owners, community leaders, and families. This is one very practical way to demonstrate to residents and shoppers your commitment to green business and living practices. The lifecycle of a bin is 10 years which is a decade of advertising!