By Tom Watson
King County Solid Waste

While most people in King County say they recycle, the fact is that more than half of what ends up in the regional landfill could have been recycled.

In the 1970s, curbside recycling was all but unheard of. Our recycling programs, more progressive than most others in the country, began in the late 1980s and have evolved over time.

Today, more than 9,000 cities in the U.S. offer curbside recycling programs, and the range of materials that are recyclable has grown.

Today's recycling markets include not only paper, aluminum and glass, but also an ever-growing range of plastics, yard debris and even food scraps and food-soiled paper.

Around King County, gone are the days where you have to separate each can, bottle and newspaper into individual bins. Today, we simply have three places to put things-- the recycling cart for basic recyclables; the yard waste cart for yard trimmings, food scraps and food-soiled paper; and as a last resort, the garbage can for materials which cannot be recycled.

By recycling more, single-family residents can reduce the size of their garbage can and reduce their monthly garbage bill by up to 40 percent. Consider these tips for reducing waste in your home:

Get to know your garbage. Knowing what's in your trash that can be recycled is the first step toward better recycling. For guidelines on what you can recycle curbside, check with your city's waste hauler by visiting either Allied Waste Services Web site at http://www.rabanco.com/ or call 425-646-2400, or the Waste Management Web site at http://www.wmnorthwest.com or call 1-800-592-9995.

Make recycling convenient. Consider placing recycling containers throughout your home in places where waste is generated such as the garage, family room or home office.

Make recycling a family affair. Involve everyone in the family in recycling. Talk about what can and can't be recycled, and assign one member to monitor progress. Post recycling guidelines in a prominent area for easy reference.

Recycle food scraps and food-soiled paper. Meat, fish, poultry, bones, dairy products, and vegetable and fruit trimmings, can be recycled in a yard waste cart - even food-soiled paper such as delivery pizza boxes, paper plates and napkins.

Collect food scraps in a covered container in your kitchen and frequently empty it into your yard waste cart. Residents are required to use a yard waste cart rented from or provided by their city's waste hauler.

For more recycling information and tips, check out www.kingcounty.gov/recyclemore.