America Recycles Day (ARD) is a nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. ARD is celebrated annually on Nov. 15. The City of Mesa proudly supports this day by encouraging Mesa residents to think twice about what they throw into their trash containers.
Many items that are normally discarded in the trash can actually be recycled under Mesa's Blue Barrel Program.
Accepted items in Mesa's blue recycle barrel include:
Plastic cups and containers (no plastic bags or foam products) Aluminum (food/beverage containers only) Metal cans (including empty aerosol cans) Cardboard and paperboard Glass (food/beverage containers only) Magazines and telephone books Milk and juice cartons Junk mail and office paper NewspapersRecycling is not only an environmentally friendly and responsible way to conserve Earth's natural resources but also financially benefits City of Mesa residents. A disposal fee is paid for every ton of material buried in the landfill but revenue is received for every ton ofmaterial recycled. These funds go into the City's general fund which helps support many quality of life services provided by Mesa Fire & Medical, Police, Library, and Parks.
Also, just as it is important to recycle, it is also important to only recycle items accepted in Mesa's blue barrel program. Placing non-accepted items into the blue barrel, such as plastic bags and textiles, damages the equipment used to sort the material and causes the City of Mesa to incur severe penalty fees by its vendors. A printable flyer listing the most common non-accepted items, along with educational recycling videos, can be found at mesarecycles.org. It is also important to remember that the sorting equipment cannot separate bagged recyclables so items should always be loose, empty, dry and relatively clean.
For more information about Mesa's recycling programs, visit www.mesarecycles.org or call (480) 644-2221.
Environmental Management & Sustainability
Contact: Mariano Reyes
Tel. (480) 644-5005
mariano.reyes@mesaaz.gov