Multifamily Recycling: Apartments, Condos, and Mobile Home Parks
Recycling is an easy and convenient way to reduce waste and protect the environment. Thurston County recycling specialists are here to help your residents recycle as successfully as possible. If you are a property owner, manager, or part of an association and you need help with your recycling program, free educational materials and on-site assistance is available.
If you are a resident of an apartment building, condo, mobile home park, and recycling service is not available, talk to your property manager to get started.
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Resources for Property Managers
Inform Your Residents
Free resources are available to property owners and managers to help inform residents about recycling.
Downloadable recycling guides
This recycling guide is free to download, or hard copies with attached magnets can be requested for free by emailing ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us. These guides a great resource to offer to new or existing residents and are available in English or Spanish. Give residents hard copies, or attach a digital copy to an online newsletter. Click here to view a printable guide.
Printed recycling guides
The materials accepted in recycling bins has changed over the past few years. Provide each resident with a current guide to help them sort everything correctly. Guides are available in English and Spanish. Email your request to ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us.
Update bin stickers
Stickers on recycling bins help residents identify which bins to use to properly dispose of their materials. Stickers with images and words make it easy for everyone to participate properly. Request new stickers to replace any faded, damaged, or outdated labels. Depending on your situation, your waste hauler might swap out outdated carts with freshly labeled carts. Email your request to ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us.
Provide a move-in tour
- Before move-in, walk residents to the areas where they should bring garbage and recyclables.
- Ensure that tenants know where their recycling/garbage receptacles are located by providing a site map with all enclosures marked and include this in their move-in packet and online.
- Whenever a resident is moving in or out, offer them a copy of the Low-Waste Moving Guide. This guide provides an overview of how to manage unwanted materials when decluttering or downsizing, as well as suggestions for reducing waste while packing and unpacking.
Provide ongoing education
Remind residents on a regular basis about your community's recycling program through newsletters, emails, and posted flyers. Consider a Community Green Team made up of residents and staff to address common issues and motivate change.
Changing Your Garbage and Recycling Services
Thurston County recycling specialists are ready to help prevent contamination, overflow, and enclosure messes. Review the Recycle Right Property Manager Toolkit for tips on setting up and managing a recycling program at your property.
Collection services for mixed recyclables and glass bottles and jars are already included with garbage collection at no extra cost for multifamily properties in Thurston County. Learn more about the minimum level of service for residential recycling collection in Thurston County: Thurston County Ordinance 13696. This ordinance applies to properties where:
- The owner or manager receives the entire solid waste bill, instead of having residents billed individually by the hauler.
AND - One of the following:
- The property contains two or more residences with the units joined to one another.
OR - The property is a mobile home park with two or more spaces or pads for residential purposes.
- The property contains two or more residences with the units joined to one another.
For owners and managers, the ordinance may mean a big cost savings. Recycling services cost much less than garbage disposal, so the more residents recycle, the higher the savings. Since facility costs are eventually passed down to residents, recycling may help everyone save money.
Prevent contamination and overflow messes by adjusting your service. Request changes to your account by contacting your waste hauler.
Right size your services— Professionals will review your current service levels, perform visual assessments, and suggest the appropriate changes for improvements in: amount of containers, pick-up frequency, enclosure improvements, and cost savings.
Food and Yard Waste Collection
Food and yard waste, including food-soiled paper, make up about a quarter of residential garbage. Instead of going in the trash, organics can be composted into a nutrient-rich material that is used in landscaping and road construction projects to improve the health of our soil.
Properties can request food and yard waste collection service from their regular hauler for a fee. Contact your current garbage and recycling hauler to sign up for food and yard waste collection.
- Designate an area for organics collection. Ensure the cart or dumpster is co-located with recycling carts and dumpsters in a waste collection area. All carts and dumpsters should be clearly labeled.
- If your building has garbage chutes, consider adding food waste bins next to the garbage chutes to make collection just as convenient as taking out the garbage. This will require someone to collect these containers regularly to bring down to the food waste cart or dumpster.
- Distribute food and yard waste guides to all residents and let them know when the service will begin. Email ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us to request free printed guides.
- Give residents a kitchen collection pail.
- Host a training or launch event to show residents what types of materials go into each container. County staff are available to help with trainings.
- Remember to inform new residents of your organics recycling service and give them a tour of the waste collection area. Monitor bins occasionally to make sure residents are placing the correct materials in the organics containers.
Bulky Item Disposal: Mattresses, Furniture, Appliances, etc.
Bulky items may occasionally need to be disposed of by residents. This is particularly common during move-in and move-out. Bulky items are generally defined as any item that is too large to fit in your garbage or recycling containers. Common items include furniture, appliances, and automobile parts. Advise your residents not to dump these items in your service area. Instead, recommend these options for bulky item disposal:
1. Donate unwanted bulky items that are still in good condition to thrift or reuse stores. A list of local businesses that accept bulky items for donation can be found by searching the Where Do I Take My? online directory for your specific items.
2. Drop off bulky items for disposal at any of the three drop-off locations in Thurston County for a fee. Find more information about these facilities here.
3. Request bulky item pick-up from your waste hauler for a fee: