Fargo's Garbage 101: Throw or recycle?

People who live in Fargo may never look at their trashcans the same way again. The City of Fargo is almost done distributing the special blue bins and trash receptacles that make up its new recycling pickup program.

It kicks off next month, and that may be just enough time for us all to get the hang of what goes where when it comes to taking out the trash.

We've already gotten a lot of calls here at Valley News Live from folks who are confused about what to save for recycling, how to sort it, and what they're supposed to do with the stuff when they're all done.

Nicole Johnson is the neighbor to go to when it comes to recycling. She and her family started recycling a year ago.

Johnson: "Because we go through so many cans, and so on. We felt bad not."

Separating out your recycling sounds like a big pain, but you can actually put it all in one container. Corrugated cardboard, then magazines and newspapers, they all get stacked in the bottom. Then, three bags are for three separate categories. One for plastics, one for aluminum and tin, and one for glass. Experts say we'll still cut our trash by more than half, and cut pickup costs, with it.

Brady: "It's really in your best interests to recycle. If you can cut down to the smaller bin you'll save yourself three dollars a month."

A lot of folks have said that the trash container the city provides is too big, or that the blue recycling bin is too small. Not only can you put out additional bins next to the blue city bin for free pickup, but you can also call the city to get a smaller trash bin and that gets you a lower pickup charge.

And there's no price you can put on the sense of satisfaction you get when you send just a teeny little amount of trash out, and a container twice that size in recycling.

The city will be sending out recycling guides with your next bill. Or, there are detailed instructions online. Go to valleynewslive.com and click on the Hot Button.

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