Garbage & Recycling

Trash

Trash & Recycling removal for Furnace Hills 2 is picked up on Thursdays. This is covered at no additional cost to our residents by Westminster City.

Household trash pickup is subcontracted by the City to Ecology Services, which is responsible for regular household trash and recycling removal. Ecology Services can be reached at 301-362-6700. 

Please note: This does not include bulk trash or yard waste removal. Bulk trash is collected by the city, and information can be found below, Special Waste and Bulk Trash Removal.

Recycling

Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. In addition, it generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits. Materials like glass, metal, plastic, and paper are collected, separated and sent to facilities that can process them into new materials or products. Recycling conserves resources for our children’s future, prevents emissions of many types of greenhouse gases and water pollutants, saves energy all around, supplies valuable raw materials to industry, creates jobs, stimulates the development of greener technologies, and reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators.

Waste prevention

Or source reduction is a term that means consuming and throwing away less. It includes purchasing more durable, long-lasting goods, seeking products and packaging that are free of toxic material (as much as possible), and redesigning products to use fewer raw materials in production, or have a longer life, or that are used again after their original use. Source reduction actually prevents the generation of waste in the first place, and so it is the most preferred method of waste management and goes a long way toward protecting the environment.

Re-use Items

Reusing items by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them also reduces waste. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again. Some easy ways to reuse are:

  • Using durable coffee mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam

  • Using cloth napkins or towels (or washable)

  • Refilling bottles instead of buying new ones

  • Donating old magazines or surplus equipment

  • Turning empty jars into containers for leftover food

  • Purchasing refillable pens and pencils

Special Waste and Bulk Trash Removal

Beginning July 1, 2018, City residents are required to call in at least 24-hours in advance and schedule any bulk trash pickup requests to 410-848-9077.

Bulk trash removal services are provided to private residences, including buildings with less than four units. Buildings with businesses or more than four units are not entitled to bulk trash removal by the City.

Placement Requirements

All items should be placed in the same location as household trash cans. Please note that this may be by the curb in front of your residence, or it may be along an alley in the rear of your property. Items must be within five (5) feet of placement location noted above and not behind a fence or the sidewalk (if applicable).

Monday - Tree Limbs and Brush

Tree Limbs must be cut to 4-foot sections, no larger than four (4) inches in diameter, with the ends facing the same direction and may be loose or bundled with thin twine. Loose clippings and trimmings must be placed in paper bags or bushel containers for Wednesday yard waste collection.

Tuesday - Metal, Tires, Batteries

Metal only, includes large appliances such as refrigerators (the doors must be removed), stoves, washers, dryers, bicycles, etc. Standard car/truck tires and car batteries are included in this pickup as well. NOT collected: dishwashers, TVs, computers, etc., over-sized tires (tractor, non-standard truck sizes, etc).

Wednesday - Grass & Leaves

Yard waste (year-round collection) is considered grass and leaves, which must be in brown, biodegradable paper lawn bags, or in lidless, bushel-sized containers, weighing no more than 50 pounds. Bags and containers must be placed curbside no sooner than 7am on Tuesday and no later than 7am on Wednesday to ensure collection. Please be aware of inclement weather conditions, as wet bags will not be collected in order to avoid debris from rips. The brown paper bags can be purchased at places like Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot. If packaged any other way, such as plastic bags or containers over 50 pounds, it will not be taken. Yard waste cannot be mixed with nor placed with normal household trash. Wheelbarrows and large trash cans are not acceptable containers.

**Please note that sod, dirt, mulch, and rocks are not considered yard waste and the city cannot collect these types of items. Consider mulching your grass clippings instead.

Thursday & Friday - Bulk Trash

Bulk trash includes sofas, chairs, lumber and building wood cut no longer than 4' length (if work is performed by a contractor, the City will NOT collect debris), TVs, mattresses, non-metal appliances (dishwashers, microwaves, other), rugs and carpet (must be bound with tape and no longer than 4' length), etc.

**Please note that sod, dirt, mulch, rocks, concrete, and bricks are NOT considered bulk trash and cannot collected by the city. Refer to your zone map to know which day is pickup on your street.