You’ve got a lot to remember between family stuff, work stuff, school stuff and all the other STUFF that crops up in life. How about something that makes your trash and recycling collection easier?
The City of Asheville’s Sanitation Division is pleased to launch the AVL Collects webpage and smart device app, available for Apple and Android devices.
Need a reminder about your trash/recycling collection day?
Want to look up information about what’s recyclable and what’s not?
AVL Collects does both!
It allows residents to download their personal collection schedule for print or to an e-calendar, as well as set phone, email, or mobile app reminders about when to set out their trash, brush, and recycling.
Residents can also sign up to receive notifications of service delays or changes.
The app also features a “Waste Wizard,” which allows residents to search for items and find out how and where to properly recycle of dispose of them, helping everyone to recycle more and recycle right to divert as much as possible from the landfill.
How it works
Why recycling right matters
Why are we providing this app? To provide better service to our residents, for one. “We also hope its use will reduce recycling contamination and improve recycling rates,” said Sanitation Manager Jes Foster.
Why does this matter? Recycling markets are changing and becoming more restrictive. Asheville’s contamination rate is relatively low, but it has been creeping up. It is more important than ever that our community works to “recycle right.” When the wrong items get in the recycling stream, it can become “contaminated” and ruin entire loads of good recyclables. Ruined recycling loads that can’t be sold may end up in the landfill.
Contamination leads to increased operational and financial burdens for our recycling vendor. It is in our collective best interest to deliver to our local recycling vendor the highest quality and least contaminated recycling product as possible to help ensure there will be a local vendor for the City to contract with to keep this material out of our landfill. What we do right (or wrong) can impact the vendor’s viability!
So let’s get it right, Asheville. We’re rolling out AVL Collects to make it easier than ever.
Give it a try and let us know how it’s working out for you. Send questions or feedback to sanitation@ashevillenc.gov.