Single-Sort Curbside Recycling

The City of Mandan's residential single-sort recycling program began in 2016. Single-sort recycling allows residents to place most recyclable materials in one container for pick-up. Waste Management is the contracted service provider.

Recycling services are provided to all single residences and multi-family units that have individual trash receptacles. Options for larger complexes, generally four or more units, that have trash dumpsters may be considered in the future.

The recycling cost is $8.19 per month for 2023. This cost is reflected in utility bills from the City.

Collection schedule. Waste Management completed a reroute of the city’s curbside recycling service in January 2022. It helped reduce truck traffic on residential streets, enhanced safety, and improved the recycling service. Utilizing the existing household garbage collection map, Waste Management split each existing daily area into zones A and B. Collection is every other week and garbage and recycling are on the same day of the week. However, the reroute allowed recycling trucks to collect on both sides of the street when in an area.

Interactive map. Click here to search by neighborhood/address to see which zone you are in and what day of the week collection will take place. Enter the address and click on the corresponding color area outside of the locator dot to determine the zone for pickup. (ex: an address in Recycling Zone Blue B and Pickup Date Monday means collection for that address will be on Monday during B weeks). 

If your recycling is not picked up by 6 p.m. on your scheduled day, please call Waste Management, phone 701-354-6550, on the next business day between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to make arrangements.

Timeframe for containers to be out. Please place the container at the point of collection by 6 a.m. the day of collection and no earlier than 6 p.m. the day before collection. After collection, all containers should be removed from the curb no later than 10 p.m. the evening of collection day.

Container placement. Proper placement is needed to accommodate trucks equipped with an automated arm. On collection day, containers should be placed curbside, either on the sidewalk or in the street next to the curb, with the wheels facing the home, at least 2 feet and ideally 5 feet away from obstructions such as vehicles, garbage containers, or retaining walls.

For homes with a front driveway, a good place for the recycling container is the driveway apron (where it connects to the street), away from mail boxes, utility poles and trees. A suggestion is to place the recycling container on one side of the driveway apron near the curb and the regular household garbage container on the other side.

Obstacles to alley collection. The collection trucks require overhead clearance of at least 16 feet. Public Works crews recently reviewed 70 alleyways and measured 118 wires, finding only 12 above the required clearance distance. Because of clearance concerns and other obstructions, Waste Management trucks will not enter alleys. Please place containers at the curb in front of the house.

Call if circumstances prevent curbside placement. If you have challenges making the requested placement impossible or very difficult, such as steps from a front yard to the street or a high retaining wall, please call Waste Management, phone 701-354-6550, to request an on-site assessment of the situation.

Medical or disability exemption. Elderly or people with a permanent physical disability who cannot reasonably get their container to the curb may submit a medical note or letter from their physician so Waste Management can make arrangements to assist, allowing continued participation in the program. Documentation may be mailed to Waste Management, 7007 15^th St NW, Bismarck, ND, 58503.

Reasons for non-collection. A few recurring practices are preventing the contractor from collecting recyclables at some stops. These include:

• Trash mixed with recycling,
• Bagging items in the container with plastic bags, and
• Placement of the container in an alleyway or other area not accessible by the trucks

A common unacceptable item showing up in containers is plastic grocery bags. Although technically recyclable, the single-sort system is not able to separate the bags on the conveyor belt at the material recovery facility. Most grocery stores accept plastic bags for recycling. Other unacceptable items appearing in recycling containers to date include styrofoam, clothes hangers and pet waste. For a detailed list of acceptable and unacceptable items, click here.

Containers stay with homes. If a resident moves, the recycling containers provided by Dakota Sanitation/Waste Management need to stay at the home even if moving to another Mandan residence. Each container is assigned to a specific location with a serial number and global positioning system chip.

Sharing of containers. Residents in duplexes and multi-family buildings who would like to share a container with a neighbor may do so. Please call Waste Management, phone 701-354-6550, to have your extra container removed and the arrangement recorded. Note: Each residence will still be billed for the service.

Windy days. Waste Management provides the following advice to prevent recyclables from blowing around neighborhoods:

• If the National Weather Service issues a high wind warning, please consider waiting to put your container out for collection until the next scheduled day.
• Recycling container lids may be secured with a bungee cord on days between pickups, but not on collection days as they interfere with the automated equipment.

Cardboard & newspaper collection sites close. The cardboard and newspaper collection bins at the 810 8^th Ave SE / Dog Park location have been removed because cardboard and newspaper items can now be placed in residential recycling containers. Retaining the bins would have come with additional cost.

Trans Trash is willing to accept cardboard, newspapers, and white office paper at its facility, 1800 40^th Ave SE (just east of Kist Livestock Auction). Trans Trash has separate recycling bins for each item. Look for the labels. The cardboard bin is for corrugated cardboard items such as shipping boxes, pizza boxes and retail displays. Waxed cardboard is not permitted. For more information, call 701-663-5313.

Recycling contamination. When trash ruins otherwise good recyclables recycling contamination occurs. Once contaminated, recyclables can no longer be recycled and become trash. Click here to view a helpful video on what residents can do to help prevent recycling contamination. 

Think globally, act locally. Recycling will extend the life of the City of Mandan landfill. Collected recyclables are hauled to Waste Management's sorting facility in Minneapolis, MN, where machines sort the materials so they can be reused.

 

RESIDENTIAL SINGLE-SORT RECYCLING INFORMATION