ECO: Reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink
Sanitary Service Company
1001 Roeder Avenue
Bellingham, Washington 98225
360-734-3490
Ask SSC Recycling Manager Rodd Pemble questions about recycling in Whatcom County. Established in 1929, SSC, Inc. is Whatcom County’s largest recycling and waste collection company, serving over 40,000 residential and commercial customers. The company collects residential and commercial recyclable materials including papers, glass, metals, plastics, food/food-soiled papers, yard waste, electronics and construction/demolition debris. More information is available at ssc-inc.com. (Photo by HovdePhoto.com)
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 1 - 10 of 14 (Page 1 of 2)Submitted by Dave from Birch Bay
Q: Are there any programs locally in Ferndale or Bellingham where plastic shopping bags can be recycled? If no formalized program, is there a store that will accept them for recycling? I recently moved from Seattle where plastic bags were recycled along with all other plastic (bottles, etc.) but I have yet to see anything anywhere in Whatcom County suggesting plastic bag recycling.
Answered 07/03/08 09:35:10 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Dave, Most grocery stores in Whatcom County accept clean plastic bags for recycling or in some cases, reuse through Food Banks, etc. Please check with your local grocery manager for more details.Submitted by Andrew Rankin from Bellingham, WA
Q: Is there any recycling going on with incandescent lightbulbs, floodlights, or spotlights, or should these be put right in the waste stream as "garbage"?
Answered 06/09/08 08:24:48 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Andrew, There is no local recycling for incandescent bulbs, so they go in the garbage when they no longer work. This is yet another reason to buy and use fluorescent bulbs at home and at work.Submitted by Krystal from Bellingham
Q: I would like to know if there is anyway to get garbage cans that get picked up by the ssc on ends of trails. The trailway over by Laurelwood and down by cedarwood area are littered with bags of dog poo. It would be nice if at the end of trails there were garbage cans to dispose of those items. It might incourage people to stop littering on the trails and maybe pick up the dog feces. Any thoughts on the idea? Thank you!
Answered 06/05/08 14:34:40 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Krystal, Bellingham Public Works has had an SSC garbage container on the Railroad Trail at Woburn for some time now, and it works well. As new dog poop stations are installed, they may not need the SSC container at that location. Chad Bedlington, 676-6850 would be the Public Works manager to call about possibly getting it relocated to your favorite trailhead.Submitted by Julie Shirley from
Q: For Rod P. Ed Fournier, Bellingham asks: When you recycle paper coffee cups in Food Plus, can you recycle the plastic lids in the recycling for cans, bottles and plastic? Plastic straws from cold drinks?
Answered 06/04/08 10:08:45 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Ed, The plastic lids from coffee cups can be recycled in the bottle/can/plastic recycling at home or at work. Plastic straws go in the trash. If you can avoid using a straw, you'll save that, too! Some vendors will fill up your reusable mug with whatever drink you like - that's the most earth friendly approach of all.Submitted by Brooks Anderson from Bellingham, WA
Q: Is it possible to have a 1 yd. dumpster for plastic film & bubble wrap placed behind Fairhaven Runners to be shared with Village Books? What would be the cost? I have talked to Steve of Fairhaven Runners about this he said to ask you.
Answered 06/02/08 09:28:19 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Brooks, SSC does offer low cost business recycling for plastic film, including bags, bubble wrap, pallet wrap, etc. A 1-yd container is $13 for monthly pick-up, and is roughly 2.5 feet wide by 7 feet long by 3 feet deep. If you have room ,the container could sit at either business and be shared by both. It does have to sit on a paved surface so the driver can safely roll it to the truck for emptying. Larger generators can order dumpsters up to 6-yd, or drop boxes from 15- to 40-yd for recycling film plastic, or other materials like wood, scrap metal, and cardboard.Submitted by Brooks Anderson from Bellingham, WA
Q: Does the city of Bellingham have a recycling program that includes parks, public events, and street corners? I only see trash containers. Notice the Village Green, with all the summer use, doesn't appear to use recycling. Think the Farmers' Market does. Can you refer me to the right person to make this inquiry?
Answered 06/02/08 09:21:27 by Rodd Pemble
A: Chad Bedlington, Supt. of Maintenance with Bellingham Public Works, 676-6850, would be the best person to start with. The city is exploring a number of ideas to bring more recycling to the public sphere, and Mr. Bedlinton can give you an overview of those efforts.Submitted by Aleen Warren from BEllingham, WA
Q: I have a small bucket of old batteries. Where can I dispose of them?
Answered 05/29/08 11:36:20 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Aleen, Rechargeable batteries of all types should be recycled at the Disposal of Toxics, 3505 Airport Drive, 380-4640, because they contain potentially toxic materials. The DoT also handles fluorescent lights, solvents, old pesticides, and old fuel. Non-rechargeable batteries (standard, alkaline) go in the regular garbage. With the mercury removed, public funds to support battery recycling dried up, so there is no longer recycling available for these batteries. Vehicle batteries from cars, boats, etc can be placed next to your curbside recycling. Cracked or leaking vehicle batteries must be taken to the Disposal of Toxics - put in a heavy plastic bag inside a sturdy box for transport. Thanks for recycling!Submitted by Gerry Mitchell from Ferndale
Q: I know you have drop off for electronics and there is one other, but why is there no push to reuse and rebuild electronic items rather then send to Canada or California for grinding and destruction? There is an organization at 1000 C St, Bellingham, RELectronics that will do just that at either a fair price and give back to other nonprofits in the communities
Answered 05/26/08 08:13:30 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Gerry, You raise an excellent point. We encourage customers who call about electronics recycling to donate their items for reuse, or repair them through RELectronics (although they have not been open for several months now). The reality however, is that probably 75% of what we receive for electronics recycling are computers older than 4-5 years (the cut-off for reuse), or older TV's and monitors that are generally more costly and difficult to repair. Those same TV's and monitors are also costly to recycle (through RELectronics or SSC)because they each contain many pounds of lead in the picture tube. Safely handling that lead is a critical step in any electronics program - SSC chose our Canadian recycler (Genesis Recycling) because they dismantle each electronic item, preserving much more of the material for recycling, and they have verifiable markets for the lead they recover. We do not use companies who simply run all the items through a giant shredder, because that process generates far more waste which cannot be recycled. However you choose to reuse or recycle your electronic items, be sure to ask questions and do your homework to make sure your material will be handled responsibly. Recent electronic recycling events in Washington State have had some serious problems - if it sounds too good to be true, it just may be.Submitted by Charles from Bellingham
Q: Hi, Just an FYI. There's a recycling company in Portland that takes Styrofoam, Far West Fibers in Washington County. Check 'em out.
Answered 05/15/08 09:31:38 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Charles, I spoke with Far West Fibers and they actually don't take it any longer. They said they thought Total Reclaim in Portland was gearing up to accept block styrofoam. http://www.totalreclaim.com/oregon.html Thanks for your note!Submitted by Lynn Gobush from Bellingham WA
Q: I have some styrofoam packing blocks from various computers, electronics, microwave, etc. Is there any place I can recycle them?
Answered 05/14/08 16:56:08 by Rodd Pemble
A: Dear Lynn, I am not aware of any local or regional recycling options for block Styrofoam(TM). By its very nature (inexpensive, light, bulky), it's very difficult to recycle successfully.