Recycling has gotten even easier for residents of Port Aransas.

The City of Port Aransas contracts with Allied Waste, a division of Republic Services, in Corpus Christi to provide recycling service.

With the addition of a new Single Stream Recycling Plant (MRF), all recyclables can now be put in the 18-gallon blue totes provided by the city. There is no need to separate recyclables.

Mike Reeves, municipal marketing manager at Allied Waste, gave a presentation at the Keep Port Aransas Beautiful meeting on Tuesday, March 27. He discussed the new plant and what is and is not recyclable.

In addition to private residences, there are now two locations in Port Aransas where materials may be dropped off. One is between the Civic Center and the building at the corner of Cotter Avenue and Cut-off Road. There also is a collection site at the transfer station at the end of Ross Avenue.

Recyclable items include all types of clean, dry paper; plastic containers numbers 1-7 and empty aluminum, tin and steel cans. The stations will not accept pizza boxes due to food contamination, and food must be rinsed off of plastic containers before recycling. Do not put plastic bags in the recycle bin. These may be taken to H-E-B or Wal-Mart, which have collection bins at their locations.

To save space, residents are asked to flatten cardboard boxes.

Small lids, such as those from soda or water bottles and shampoo bottles clog the gears in the new machine. Contact Luann Ferguson at 749-5141 to dispose of those items. Ferguson will send them to a company in Ohio, which is able to dispose of them.

The public is asked to donate larger lids to Pam Greene with the City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department, who uses them for craft projects. Contact Greene at 749-4158.

Examples of non-recyclable items are Styrofoam®, food wrap, liquids, glass, food waste and tissue products.

For information on recycling or to become a KPAB member, call Mike Secich at 749-7144.

Learn even more at the next KPAB meeting to be held in the meeting room at the Ellis Memorial Library on Tuesday, April 24, at 6 p.m.