Waste
Recycling
Recycling is available to all residents and is collected once a week. Recycling helps to reduce the amount of waste and increase the amount of material converted into recycled products. Decreasing the amount of waste in landfills helps the environment and reduces the need for new landfills. Reductions in landfills decrease costs for the waste hauler by offsetting rising fuel costs to run the waste trucks, which allows the waste hauler to pass the savings onto the City. Click here to view Clayton's Recycling Guidelines. Multi-family buildings should contact their building management with any questions.
All recyclables should be rinsed. All materials are to be placed in the recycling bin provided by Allied Waste. If you need an extra bin, they are available at City Hall. In Clayton, we have single stream recycling, which means you can throw all recycling in one bin. The following is a list of items that can be recycled:
Glass, Plastic & Cans:
- Glass bottles and jars (clear, brown, green) such as soda, beer, wine and food jars (No window glass, dinnerware or ceramics)
- Plastic beverage containers such as milk, water and soda bottles
- Plastic detergent, fabric softener, margarine tubs, frozen dessert cups, six pack rings, yogurt, ketchup and narrow neck syrup bottles
- Narrow neck plastic containers such as those for health and beauty products and household cleaners
- Aluminum and metal beverage cans, trays, foil and empty aerosol cans (Remove labels, Trays must be clean)
- Aseptic containers and gable top containers such as juice boxes and cartons
Paper:
If it is raining the day of pick up, we ask you to take any paper material out of the recycling and save for the next pick up day.
- Newspaper, including inserts (Excludes plastic sleeves)
- Cardboard broken down and bundled, no wax board (You may also drop cardboard in the recycling dumpster located at the west end of Shaw Park Drive.)
- Kraft paper such as brown paper bags
- Magazines, catalogs and phone books
- Chip board such as cereal, snack or gift boxes
- Paper such as computer, notebook and gift wrap paper (No metal rings or binders)
- Junk mail (excludes plastic cards, stick-on labels or unused stamps)\
- Paper back books\
The following materials may NOT be recycled:
- Paint and spray paint cans
- Mirrors, light bulbs and pesticide/herbicide containers
- Plastic wrappers
- Bleach and motor oil containers
- Household hazardous waste (paint, cleaners, oils, batteries, pesticides, etc.)
Composting
Composting is the decomposition of organic materials to make a nutrient-rich soil additive. Clayton has updated its Residential Composting Ordinance to allow the reuse of specific household waste materials for mulching as an alternative to landfill disposal. Click here to learn more about composting.
As of October 1, 2010, Clayton residents will be able to include compostable materials with yard waste for pickup. This waste hauling service is free of charge and is intended to divert the approximate 25% of residential compostable waste that is being sent to landfills.
All compostable materials should be added in with yard waste and put in a single, clearly visible, outside location by 7:00 am on your scheduled pickup day.
Compostable materials include leaves, sod, grass clippings, wood chips, saw dust, vegetables, fruit, paper, straw, empty egg shells, hair, dryer lint, coffee grounds, tea leaves and vacuum cleaner dust.
Materials that may not be composted include all animal products such as meat, bones, carcasses and manure, litter box remains, all dairy products, lard and oil, oily foods, mayonnaise, salad dressing, peanut butter, non-biodegradable items and whole grains such as rice, wheat and barley.
Materials collected for composting will be put back into the ground for use as soil, mulch and fertilizer. For more information, please call the Clayton Public Works Department at (314) 290-8546.
Household Hazardous Waste
Household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides are considered to be household hazardous waste and can harm sanitation workers, contaminate septic tanks or wastewater treatment systems and create risks for children and pets if left around the house. The Saint Louis County Department of Health is currently developing a network of permanent household hazardous waste drop-off locations. Until that network is in place, the Department of Health will continue to host annual household hazardous waste collection events in the spring and fall. It is hoped that by creating year-round household hazardous waste drop-off locations, even more residents will be able to take advantage of this program.Electronics Recycling
In March each year, the City of Clayton and Web Innovations & Technology Services (WITS) cosponsor the annual electronic recycling event held in the south parking lot in Shaw Park. Businesses and residents may dispose of computers, printers, phones, pagers, fax machines, small appliances, copy machines and televisions (console TVs must be dropped off at the WITS facility of Holly Avenue). WITS guarantees secure Department of Defense removal of all data on reusable computers. WITS also guarantees that all non-reusable items will be recycled appropriately and that they will not be put into a landfill. A donation of $5 is requested for disposal of each monitor and television. Additional donations help cover costs of repairing computers for low-income families. All donations are tax deductible. Details are available on the WITS website.To date, 138.5 tons of material have been recycled with the majority of material consisting of televisions and tubes. Thanks for recycling 25 tons of electronics in 2010!
Concrete/Asphalt Recycling
The Clayton Public Works Department has begun adding provisions to project specifications requiring the recycling of asphalt and concrete that is removed as part of capital improvement projects. In 2009, approximately 4,345 tons of concrete and 9,064 tons of asphalt were recycled during the City's capital improvement projects.
BigBelly
Some of the first BigBelly Combination Solar Trash Compactors and Recycling Containers in the region have been installed in Clayton. The receptacles are completely self-powered. The solar panel on the top of each compactor collects and stores energy from the sun. When the trash inside reaches a certain level, it is automatically compacted by a mechanism that exerts 1,200 pounds of force. The bin holds five times the amount of compacted trash and soiled paper than a regular bin holds.
Economic and Environmental Benefits of BigBelly:
- Has the same footprint as a regular trash bin but holds up to five times more (Needs only 1/5 the number of trash truck pickups)
- Saves money by requiring fewer trash collections, lowering truck fuel costs and conserving landfill space
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Sealed to keep trash and odor in and pests out
- Sturdy and practically maintenance free
- Lets you single stream recycle on the go (paper, cans, plastic bottles and glass all go in this one bin)
- Helps create a greener, cleaner Clayton
- Operates for a week on the amount of energy it takes to make a pot of coffee and for eight years on as much energy as it takes to drive a garbage truck one mile
