Collection Schedule and Upcoming Recycling Events. To be added to the email list for upcoming events; please email sattridge@city-buffalo.com

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

34 and More is Buffalo’s public initiative to increase the city’s recycling diversion rate—currently 29.30 percent—and exceed the national average of 34%. Recycling has never been easier, and benefits everyone. Use these guides to determine what goes in the green tote, what goes in the blue tote and what to drop off, as well as the city’s laws for refuse and recycling collection. See how easy it is to reach 34 and more!

Click Here to view the City of Buffalo 2018 Annual Recycling report:2018 Annual Recycling Report

Do you want to see how your neighborhood is doing with its curbside recycling?  Check out this link that was created for the City of Buffalo by Zerocycle Inc.  The City uses this information to target specific neighborhoods that need extra help to boost their recycling!
http://reports.zerocycle.co/buffalo/index.html

 

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MAYOR BROWN, CITY OF BUFFALO EXPAND

FOOD SCRAP RECYCLING PROGRAM

Mayor Byron W. Brown announced that the City of Buffalo has launched its expanded the Food Scraps Recycling Program to five locations.    The four-month food scrap drop off program will run from June through September at the following locations:

Food scraps are a large portion of our waste stream and the ability to process food scraps locally can lead to opportunities to increase recycling rates and allow the City to become cleaner and healthier.  The creation of compost, a natural healthy fertilizer, can be useful for our community parks, gardens, and trees, instead of being sent to landfill.

"This is a safe, smart, and free way of disposing of food scraps that will be turned into valuable compost”, said Mayor Brown. “I thank residents for continuing to recycle more and encourage them to participate in this next phase of our 34andMore Buffalo Recycles program.”

Acceptable material:

Vegetable & fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags,  nut & egg shells

Unaccepted material:

Meat, chicken, fish, greasy & oily food, dairy, animal waste, litter or bedding, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased or insect-infested houseplants, or biodegradable /compostable plastics

Residents can collect and place food scraps within reusable plastic containers such as large yogurt bins, Tupperware containers, commercially available compost pails, milk cartons, or in paper or plastic bags.  The first 250 participants at each location will receive a free food scrap collection bucket.

For odor reduction, store items within freezer or refrigerator, and add a layer of shredded newspaper to the bottom of the container.  All food scraps collected will be transported by the Natural Upcycling to the Buffalo River Compost.

For more information, please call 851-5014 or visit www.buffalorecycles.org.

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CITY OF BUFFALO SPRING BULK TRASH SCHEDULE

Please remember to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle before you trash!  Utilize any of the participants in the Western New York Coalition for Donated Goods for reusable items.  And keep yard waste separate so that it can be composted.

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LET'S DO THIS! BLOCK CLUB RECYCLING COMPETITION

Mayor Byron W. Brown has launched the Third Annual City of Buffalo’s Let’s DO This! Block Club Recycling Competition has begun! Let’s DO This! Block Club Recycling Competition was first launched in July 2017 to incentivize residents to participate in curbside recycling and help bring the City to its goal of 34% recycling.

Applications are due June 10th!  To sign up, click here: http://bit.ly/2PUsmLC

 

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2019 Environmental Champions Program

Mayor Byron W. Brown and Superintendent Kriner Cash have announced their commitment to enhance recycling across the Buffalo Public Schools.  The second annual Environmental Champions Program (ECP) is an educational initiative for students, teachers, and school administrators to practice the 3R’s of waste management.

The ECP will incentivize school communities to strengthen recycling capacity.  Eligible schools will receive an award of  up to $500 for stewardship items such as garden supplies, compost unit, or classroom recycling bins.  All K – 12 Buffalo Public Schools are eligible to apply.

To sign-up and participate, please email the Recycling Coordinator: Bridget Houck (bhouck@city-buffalo.com) and inform her of your school’s involvement by Friday, March 15, 2019. This email should include details of your School Name, School Address, and a School Contact (name and email address) overseeing this initiative.

Deadline for submission with the Environmental Champions Program is Friday, May 10, 2019.

Click here for the application: EnvironmentalChampionsProgram-Booklet-2019

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DARE TO REPAIR CAFE

Mayor Byron W. Brown and The Dare to Repair Cafe are partnering on a community event where individuals can bring broken items (lamps, vacuums, toys, etc.) to the repair cafe and have expert volunteer “fixers” try to repair the item alongside them for free. While there is no guarantee that an item can be fixed,participants are sure to learn something new and have fun along the way. It’s not just about fixing things, it’s about reducing waste and building community! The next Dare to Repair Cafe is on January 21, 2019 at the Buffalo Museum of Science from 10:AM - 1:PM.

Please visit  www.thetoollibrary.org/daretorepair

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HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE SCHEDULE

The City of Buffalo has joined the Erie County Hazardous Waste Program. Erie County holds five (5) events from May through October. Buffalo residents are encouraged to participate in any of the 5 events. Please note that Pre-Registration is required and there is a limit of 500 cars per Household Hazardous Waste Event.  The Household Hazardous Waste event in the City will be held October 2nd at Martin Luther King Park .  Please visit www.erie.gov/recycling for more information.

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WESTERN NEW YORK COALITION FOR DONATED GOODS

The Western New York Coalition for Donated Goods (WNYCDG) is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations whose goal is to promote both the community and the environment through the donation of clothing and other goods.  The coalition was formed in May 2014 through the efforts of Mayor Byron W. Brown and  Goodwill, Salvation Army, Buffalo City Mission, AMVETS,  St. Vincent de Paul and Hearts for the Homeless.  Habitat for Humanity and Buffalo Reuse have expressed an interest in participating once we move on to construction material.  For a complete listing of drop-off locations visit: http://www.buffalony.gov/382/Streets-Sanitation

 

 

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Recyclable
material list

More Info

Clothing & textile recycling

More Info

Laws for refuse & recycling collection

More Info


Food Waste

More Info

FAQs

The wet strength of paper is a measure of how well the web of fibers holding the paper together can resist a force of rupture when the paper is wet. To increase wet-strength, additives are added to the paper to make it stronger.  These additives often make the paper product not recyclable.

Engineering Garage handout

City of Buffalo currently has a diversion rate of 29.3.%.  The Diversion Rate, based on weight,  includes all materials that are pulled out of the waste stream and recycled for which there is data available.  The curbside recycling rate is 16%.  Mayor Byron Brown’s 2018 Annual Recycling Report is available here: 2018 Annual Recycling Report

 

More household waste is produced between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than any other time of the year–about 6 million tons of added waste  nationwide.  Enjoy the holidays and recycle when you can!

 

Yes. The City of Buffalo has a mandatory recycling ordinance.

Multiple-dwelling buildings are required to provide recycling to their tenants.

Recycling helps the environment by conserving natural resources. Recycling helps stabilize the User Fee because recycling is less costly than garbage disposal. The more we recycle, the more we save.

No. Recyclables are not thrown out. They are valuable resources that are sold to make new products.

Recycling and garbage are picked up on the same day every week by different trucks—Republic Services, the City’s recycling contractor, picks up recycling; the City Sanitation Department picks up garbage. Please call 311 to determine your collection day, or visit the Collection Schedules tab at the top of this website.

If you miss your weekly recycling pickup, or if the truck misses your stop, please leave your green tote out and call 311. A truck will return.

Single-stream recycling is when all recyclables are collected in the same container. There was a time when paper had to be kept separate from the rest of the recyclables; that is no longer necessary.

Western New York Coalition for Donated Goods was formed to make it easier for residents to locate donation opportunities for used clothing and furniture. For a list of locations, please visit  https://www.buffalony.gov/382/Streets-Sanitation

Yard waste—trees, shrubs, grass clippings—that is left at the curb during the leaf pickup period in the fall are composted. If residents want to ensure that yard waste is composted other times of the year, they can drop off yard waste at the Engineering Garage, 1120 Seneca St., Buffalo, 14210.

All yard waste collected during leaf collection in the fall, as well as Christmas tree pickup after the holidays, is composted.

Compost and wood chips are available to residents at Engineering Garage, 1120 Seneca St., Buffalo, 14210.

Both Styrofoam and plastic bags present operational problems for the Material Recycling Facility, where recyclables are processed. Clean, white Styrofoam can be brought to Thermal Foams for recycling (call first for an appointment). New York State law requires that stores provide drop-off bins for plastic bags. Bring your plastic bags to the grocery store for easy disposal.

The City has many commodities that handle recycling and garbage:
Garbage—East Side Transfer Station
Recycling (collected curbside)—Modern Recycling – Material Recycling Facility
Electronic waste—Electronic Recyclers International
Yard waste—Buffalo River Compost Facility
Tires—Geiter Done of WNY
Scrap metal—various metal recyclers in Buffalo

The City of Buffalo sponsors occasional special collection events throughout the year. Residents should call 311 for more information.

An “Oops Tag” will be placed on your green tote if it contained material that is not recyclable. Residents should remove the contaminant and put it in the blue tote.

Yes. All recyclable plastic that touched food should be rinsed with water.

The City of Buffalo curbside collection program accepts all plastic bottles and food containers labeled with recycling codes 1 through 7. The exception is styrofoam and plastic bags.  They DO NOT go int ht e green tote.

We recommend you first try to donate or resell unwanted furniture or household items, whenever possible. However, the City hosts bulk trash pickup days in each of the council districts. Residents should call 311 for dates.

Request a Tote

Every city address, including apartments, should have its own green recycling tote. If you do not have a green recycling tote, or need a new one, please call 311 or fill out this form and the City will contact you for arrangements.

Business Pledges

The City of Buffalo needs everyone's help to increase the city's recycling rate. That includes businesses as well as residents. The following businesses have already pledged to recycle, encouraging both colleagues and customers to do their part and recycle more. The city thanks them for their support. If you own or manage a business in the City of Buffalo, join this list and pledge today!