A Renter's Guide to Recycling, Composting & Trash

Under the Vermont Rental Housing Code, your landlord is responsible for:

• Assure arrangements are made for the removal of food scraps​
• Keeping common areas clean and free of waste 
• Properly managing any additional waste outputs, such as fluorescent bulbs, batteries, paint, and cleaning chemicals​

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Composting: Your Options

First, check your lease or ask your landlord or property manager about managing food scraps. By July 1, 2020, all residents are required to divert food scraps away from the trash. What arrangements have they made?

If your lease says that you are in charge of managing your food scraps, you can:

• Bring food scraps to a drop-off site or transfer station. Find a drop-off site near you.
• Compost at home with a backyard bin. CVSWMD offers Soil Saver Composters and Green Cones at below retail rates.
• See if community composting is right for you, and learn how to set it up with your neighbors.
• Hire a local hauler to pick up your compost.​

What can you compost?

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Blue Bin Recycling

Your landlord must set up clearly-labeled receptacles to collect blue bin recyclables. CVSWMD offers free, downloadable signs:

• Recycling Resimplified
• Mixed Recycling, Foodscraps, Landfill
• A Vermonter's Guide​
• Recycling, Foodscraps, Trash stickers for your bins

What goes in the blue bin?

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Beyond the Blue Bin: Additional Recycling

Beyond blue bin recyclables, there are dozens of unique items - from cereal bags and batteries, to scrap metal and small household appliances! - that you can bring and sort at the Additional Recyclables Collection Center (ARCC) for recycling.
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​Fun fact: There are only a handful of facilities like the ARCC in the U.S.

Learn more

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Special Recycling: Paint, Batteries, Bulbs, Computers, TVs, Monitors, Desktop Printers, Computer Peripherals (Mice, Speakers, Keyboards, etc.)

These items can be recycled at no cost to you thanks to Vermont's Product Stewardship program. Drop them off at the Additional Recyclables Collection Center (ARCC) during open hours. Restrictions on quantities may apply. Learn more:

• Paint recycling
• Lightbulb recycling
• Battery recycling
• TVs, Computers, Monitors, Desktop Printers and Computer Peripherals
  
• Thermostat recycling

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Household Hazardous Waste, Lead & Sharps, Rx

• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): Collect and drop it off at one of our Hazardous Waste Collection events or at the Chittendon Environmental Depot (open year-round).
• Lead: If you suspect you have lead, contact a licensed professional for support.
• Sharps: Learn how to safely and properly dispose of sharps.
• Prescription drugs: Learn how to safely dispose of prescription medication in Vermont, and learn about prescription drug storage and security at home.

What is hazardous waste?

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Managing waste during move-in and move-out

• Distribute usable items among friends, family and neighbors via gifting, advertising on Front Porch Forum, or hosting yard sales and free piles. 
• Donate usable goods (e.g. furniture, kitchenware, clothing) to local secondhand shops and organizations in need.
• Drop off hard-to-recycle items (e.g. bulbs, electronics, small appliances, tires, paint) at the Additional Recyclable Collections Center (ARCC). See ARCC page for a full list of accepted items. 
• Dispose of household hazardous waste at a special collection event or at Chittenden Solid Waste District. Hazardous waste includes items with "Caution," "Danger" and "Warning" labels. Learn more about how to identify Household Hazardous Waste here.

TIP: Find or give away usable moving boxes on Front Porch Forum.

Have more questions? Contact us.