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1. What is Hamilton County R3Source and what do they do?

The Hamilton County R3Source is a non-regulatory government organization that promotes recycling, reuse, and waste reduction. Hamilton County R3Source staff provides technical assistance and supplies to communities, businesses, and schools to help establish or improve waste reduction and recycling programs. The Hamilton County R3Source also funds programs for residents to drop off household hazardous waste and yard trimmings. Check around our website for more that the R3Source does.

The Hamilton County R3Source does not collect garbage, recycling, or large items nor do we accept any items dropped off at our location.

2. If an item is not on my acceptable items list, and I think it could be recycled, should I put in my recycling bin/cart?

No. Putting the wrong recyclables into your bin or cart will contaminate the recycling stream. The materials move quickly on the belts through the Material Recovery Facility (MRF). Machines and people cannot quickly sort all of the unacceptable items, which can create contamination and the recovered items cannot be sold. It’s best to follow the acceptable item list. It’s important to recycle, but it’s just as important to recycle correctly.

3. What types of plastics can I recycle curbside? Why are some plastics like trays, and hinged (clamshell) containers not accepted in Hamilton County?

The only plastics acceptable in curbside recycling are bottles, jugs, tubs, and cups. These include items like milk jugs, orange juice bottles, water/pop bottles, shampoo bottles, butter tubs, yogurt containers, clear plastic cups, etc. 

Other plastic containers (strawberry, blueberry, lettuce containers, etc.) are a different type of plastic that is not able to be recycled locally.

Plastic bottles and jugs, in which the body is larger than the mouth, are "blow molded" which means the shape is made by blowing air into a mold, similar to blowing air into a balloon. The other plastic packaging is made in a process called "injection molded," whereby hot liquid plastic is injected into a mold and then removed once it cools and hardens. Blow-molded and injection molded plastics melt and cool at different temperatures, therefore are not compatible in the reprocessing stage. We currently only have local markets for blow-molded plastic packaging.

4. Are cups recyclable?

Yes! In February 2022, Rumpke announced it will now accept disposable paper, plastic, and aluminum cups in its recycling programs. Styrofoam and polystyrene (#6) cups (e.g. solo cups) are not accepted.

As for the lids, plastic lids on plastic cups are accepted and should be reattached prior to placing in the recycling container. Plastic lids on paper cups are not accepted - the paper cup should be placed in the recycling without the lid and the lid should be discarded in the trash.

Straws and stoppers should also be discarded in the trash. This material is much too small to effectively run through the recycling facility.

5. What is contamination and why is it bad for recycling?

Any material that is not recyclable that residents put in the recycling bin. This could include any material not accepted for recycling and plastic bags.

Removing contamination is costly for the processors thereby increasing the cost of recycling. Some contamination can even damage the equipment at the materials recovery facility and require the whole plant to be shut down while plastic bags and videotapes are cut off equipment or parts are replaced due to heavy metal objects.

6. Where do items go for recycling after the hauler has collected them?

Most of the residential recyclable materials that are collected in Hamilton County are delivered to the Rumpke Recycling Facility in St. Bernard, where they are sorted and marketed to end-users.

Newspaper is remanufactured into a variety of materials such as insulation, paper tubes and packaging. Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE plastic) is used for polyester clothing, carpeting and roofing materials. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE plastic) is used to make irrigation pipe and drainage tiles. Glass is used to make new containers and fiberglass. Aluminum cans are used to make new cans. Steel is used to make new steel products.

7. What are the most common misconceptions about recycling?

• That recycling should be free.
  • Many people believe that they should not be charged for recycling services because it is "the right thing to do" or because the waste companies are making a significant amount of money from selling recyclables. Although people are making the right choice when they recycle, their recyclables still need to be collected by special vehicles, processed at facilities that cost millions of dollars to build and transported to markets that are as far away as Asia. All of this requires equipment and labor, which translates into cost.
  • Some recyclables, such as aluminum, have a high enough market value to generate enough revenue to cover the cost of collection, processing and marketing. Other recyclables, such as paper and glass, are of such little value that they may actually cost the waste hauler more to collect, process and transport than they receive from selling the materials. When this occurs, the waste hauler needs to pass these costs on to their customers. The way to increase the market value for recyclables is to purchase products made of recycled-content materials.
• The second common misconception is that if a package says "recyclable" or if it has the "chasing arrows" that it is recyclable in your community.
  • Not all materials that are "recyclable" are able to be recycled within Hamilton County. For example, there are several variations of PETE (Number 1) plastic, such as smallmouth bottles and food trays, yet only small mouth bottles and jugs can be recycled in Hamilton County. This is due to the lack of accessible markets available for PETE food trays. Thus, it is important to find out what materials can be recycled in Hamilton County and purchase products that can be recycled.
• A third misconception is that "recyclable" and "recycled-content" mean the same thing.
  • "Recyclable" means that the material has the potential to be recycled, but is only recycled after it is collected, processed, marketed and remanufactured into a new product. Just because it has a recycling symbol, doesn't mean it is recyclable in our area. The Number inside the recycling symbol mean the kind of plastic resin; not the number of the plastic.
  • "Recycled-content" means the product is made out of recyclables that were remanufactured into new products. Thus, unless we are buying recycled-content materials, we are not truly recycling.

8. Which Hamilton County communities are the most successful in their recycling efforts?

Residents in every Hamilton County community have access to some type of recycling program. This is a great success due to the fact that in 1990, only 50% of Hamilton County communities offered recycling programs. With respect to recycling rates, the ten Hamilton County communities with the highest recycling rates in 2021 are:

• Mariemont: 66.89%
• Amberley Village: 54.21%
• Terrace Park: 41.98%
• Wyoming: 38.91%
• Montgomery: 35.85%
• Madeira: 35.71%
• Indian Hill: 31.06%
• Glendale: 30.43%
• Greenhills: 30.22%
• Blue Ash: 25.29%

9. How can I reduce the amount of junk mail I receive?

You can reduce waste by having your name removed from many bulk mailing lists. Write to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

10. Can I put yard trimmings, latex paint, household hazardous waste, or electronics in my curbside recycling bin/cart?

No. These items are not recycled in the same way as items on the acceptable item list.

11. How can I compost my yard trimmings?

You can recycle your yard trimmings at home! Receive a free copy of the Yardwaste at Home Handbook (PDF) from the Hamilton County. This handbook gives valuable information on topics such as composting, vermicomposting and organic gardening.

The Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District also offers residents three Yard Trimmings Drop-off Sites which are available at no charge.

12. How can I recycle or properly dispose of latex paint?

Latex paint is not hazardous and can be thrown away once dry. Garbage collectors cannot pick up liquids so remove the lid and let dry. To speed up this process, add kitty litter or paint hardener. Once dry, set out with your regular trash. Visit the Latex Paint Disposal page for more information.

13. How can I recycle or properly dispose of household hazardous waste?

You may find updated information by checking the Household Hazardous Waste page or by calling the Recycling Hotline at 513-946-7766.

14. How can I recycle or properly dispose of electronic equipment?

For information about electronic recycling options in this area, visit the Electronics page.

15. Since plastic bags, plastic film, etc. can't go in the recycling cart, where can I recycle plastic bags and plastic film?

Plastic bags, plastic film, etc. can be recycled at area Kroger, Wal-Mart, Meijer, and Target locations. Better yet, bring your own reusable bags when shopping.

16. What simple things could any consumer do to reduce the amount of waste put into landfills?

Buy Recycled-Content Materials

The only way to assure that recycling programs continue is if there is a market for recyclables. Consumers control the marketplace for recyclables through their purchasing practices. Thus, when shopping, be sure to read the labels to see if the product is either made out of or packaged in recycled-content materials.

Participate

Every community in Hamilton County has either drop-off or curbside recycling available to their residents. In fact, many Hamilton County communities offer these services at no charge to their residents. Yet, in most communities, only 30% to 40% of the residents choose to participate. If you have these programs and they are offered for free, take advantage of them and participate. Also, if you have access to programs and there is a fee, please still consider participating. The cost of the recycling program, which is between $2 and $4 per month, may seem expensive. However, recycling prolongs the life of our area landfills. If local landfills run out of space and Hamilton County residents have to ship their garbage long distance, they could easily pay an additional $10 a month for garbage collection.

Use Less Stuff

Everybody has extremely busy schedules and convenience items are an essential part of our lives. However, some of these convenient items have a significant amount of excess packaging which is neither recycled-content or is recyclable. When purchasing convenient items, try to select the item which has the least amount of packaging and is packaged in either recycled-content or recyclable materials.