Split back rear loading packer trucks collect recyclables together for transport to a single-stream facility. Trash and recyclables are placed in separate compartments, loaded through the back of the vehicle, and are not mixed together.
	Side loading packer trucks collect recyclables together for transport to a single-stream facility. These vehicles are loaded from the side and sometimes carry both trash and recyclables.
	Rear loading packer trucks collect recyclables together for transport to a single-stream facility. Haulers toss all recyclables into the back of the truck and compact them, but not with trash.
	The Trough Type Truck can be used by haulers who participate in either single- or dual-stream recycling. This truck features compartments at the truck's side which are designed to separately accommodate recyclable paper and containers.
	"Eager Beaver" is the nickname for the two compartment recycling truck used by haulers who participate in dual-stream recycling. This type of truck has two separate compartments which are used to collect recyclable paper and containers.

Each week, Onondaga County residents do a terrific job of sorting their recyclable paper from their recyclable containers, and placing their Blue Bins at the curb for pick-up by their waste hauler. In fact, our community is on track to recycle another 40,000 tons of material this year through OCRRA’s Blue Bin curbside program.

Perhaps you’ve noticed changes in how your hauler is collecting and transporting your Blue Bin materials. Have you seen a new or different type of collection vehicle picking up your recyclables? Does the vehicle look like a garbage truck? Have you seen your hauler mix your recyclable papers with your recyclable containers? Are your recyclables going into an opening on the side or back of a waste vehicle, and then your trash being thrown into the same opening? What exactly is going on here?

Before we discuss the simple answers to these important questions, you may want to know the bottom line and here it is: OCRRA assures you that the materials you place each week in your Blue Bin are being recycled. Please, keep up the good work!

To keep things simple, OCRRA recommends that you continue to separate your recyclable papers from your containers. The reason being, there are two different types of recycling facilities where recyclables are sorted. One is a "dual-stream" facilty; the other is a "single-stream" facility.

With single-stream recycling, recyclable paper and containers can be mixed and collected together because all the materials are separated back out at the recycling center. Does this mean trash, too? Absolutely not! While recyclables are mixed together in the single stream process, trash and recyclables are never combined by the hauler for disposal. Such mixing by the hauler would be a violation of local county law.

Dual-stream recycling, on the other hand, requires that papers be kept separated from recyclable containers throughout the entire collection process. Once collected, these recyclables are brought to a recycling center where they are unloaded into two separate areas, one for paper and one for containers, and are sorted further.

No matter how residential curbside recyclables are collected and no matter what type of vehicle they are collected in, the fact of the matter is that the recyclable materials Onondaga County residents are setting out at the curb are being delivered by the haulers to recycling centers where they are processed and marketed for recycling.

Even though there may be a change for some haulers in their collection process, your trash hauler still needs to separate trash from recyclables. If you see your trash hauler tossing recyclables together with your trash, please call OCRRA at 453-2866 to report the incident.

OCRRA salutes the recyclers of Onondaga County and commends their commitment to recycling.
Thank you and keep up the good work!