Background

Buffalo (pop. 259,384) has grown its curbside recycling program into a weekly, single-cart collection system. All of the basic curbside materials, including paper, plastics, metals and glass, are accepted curbside in a very straightforward system, allowing for easy participation. As an added measure of convenience, for those residents that have overflow items (too many recyclables to fit in the green cart), the city allows tied clear plastic bags of recyclables to be placed next to the carts for pick-up.

Materials recycled

Paper Including non-wax-coated paperboard (i.e., no “wet-strength” packaging), office paper, envelopes, brochures, postcards, junk mail, flyers, newspapers, phone books, magazines, catalogs, milk and juice cartons (emptied and cleaned), cardboard (flattened), paper bags and debris-free pizza boxes. Plastics Plastic containers, jugs and bottles numbered 1 through 7 (rinsed/cleaned) Metals Including aluminum and steel/tin cans (rinsed/cleaned) and metal cookware (pots, pans, tins and utensils). No aerosol cans or scrap metal accepted. Glass Glass bottles and jars accepted (rinsed/cleaned).

Frequency

Curbside pick-up occurs on a weekly basis, same day as trash collection. Carts must be placed curbside, arrows facing the street, no earlier than 7 p.m. the night before pick-up and no later than 7 a.m. day of pick-up. All carts must be returned to property within 12 hours of pick-up.

Other programs

Buffalo residents enjoy free electronics drop-off  at 1120 Seneca St. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Accepted items include circuit boards, TVs and monitors, laptops and desktops, computer accessories, A/V equipment, cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, communications equipment, servers and IT equipment, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, cables and wires, video games and gaming systems, medical/lab equipment and ink/toner cartridges. Buffalo hosts several tire drop-off events at the Broadway Garage (197 Broadway) throughout the year. Residents can bring four clean, off-the-rim tires for disposal. See the Buffalo bulk trash worksheet for more information.

More information

Visit the City of Buffalo Recycling website for more recycling program info.