* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:10] HELLO BATON ROUGE. THIS IS DENISE AMAR FROM DISTRICT EIGHT, AND WE ARE HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS GARBAGE AND TRASH AND RECYCLING. AND I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MY GUEST, SHARON MANN. UM, SHARON, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. HI, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. UM, I AM, UH, BORN AND RAISED IN BATON ROUGE. I'VE BEEN WITH REPUBLIC SERVICES FOR OVER 38 YEARS, SO I'VE DEALT WITH GARBAGE AND RECYCLING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. UM, WE HAVE HAD THE CONTRACT FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. UM, BUT MOST RECENTLY WE'VE JUST RENEWED THE CONTRACT WITH THE CITY. AND WITH THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE WITH OUR NEW CONTRACT CAME BRAND NEW EQUIPMENT AND WE KIND OF DID A TOUR OF THE CITY WITH THE NEW EQUIPMENT. AND UM, AND HOPEFULLY SOME OF OUR VIEWERS HAVE ALREADY NOTICED THE NEW EQUIPMENT AND THESE NEW TRUCKS THAT WE HAVE. NOT ONLY ARE THEY BRAND SPANKING NEW, WHICH IS IN ITSELF JUST A DREAM, BUT THEY'RE ALSO EQUIPPED WITH A 360 DEGREE VIEW. SO THEY'VE GOT CAMERAS COMPLETELY AROUND THE ENTIRE TRUCK, ALONG WITH INSIDE OF THE CAD. AND WE, WE DID THIS BECAUSE THE COUNCIL REQUESTED IT, BUT TO BE ABLE TO DO SERVICE VERIFICATION SO THAT WHENEVER A RESIDENT CALLS IN AND SAYS THAT THEY WERE MISSED, WE COULD PROVIDE THEM WITH VIDEO FOOTAGE TO SHOW WHETHER THEIR CART WAS OUT OR IF THE DRIVER DID IN FACT MISS IT. SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION. IF A CONSTITUENT SAYS THEIR ROUTE WAS MISSED, CAN THEY OBTAIN A COPY OF THE VIDEO? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. HOW CAN THEY GO ABOUT DOING THAT? SO YOU CALL 3 1 1 AND WHEN YOU ENTER YOUR, YOUR ADDRESS IN Q ALERT OR YOU TELL THE REP REPRESENTATIVE ON THE PHONE, THEY WILL PUT IT IN THE SYSTEM AND THEN THAT COMES DIRECTLY TO US. AND THEN WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ATTACH THE VIDEO TO YOUR QUEUE ALERT. AND WHEN WE DO THAT, IT AUTOMATICALLY WILL ALERT YOU THROUGH EMAIL AND, AND THEN YOU CAN CLICK ON IT AND IT'LL SHOW YOU LIVE. OKAY. SO I KNOW SHE, A LOT OF THE COMPLAINT ABOUT THE OLD TRUCKS WAS THAT AS THE TRUCKS WERE GOING DOWN THE ROAD, THERE WAS GONNA BE A LOT OF GARBAGE THAT WAS FLYING OUT AND THAT WAS A BIG COMPLAINT OF A LOT OF CONSTITUENTS. SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE TRUCKS AND YOUR NEW TRUCKS TODAY? SO THE NEW TRUCKS ARE EQUIPPED WITH A WIND TURBINE AT THE TOP OF THE TRUCK THAT KEEPS THE, THE ANY SMALL PAPER INSIDE THE TOP OF THE TRUCK. BUT IT ALSO HAS SOMETHING CALLED A PACKER ASSIST THAT EVERY TIME A DRIVER MOVES UP OR MOVES ON, THEY PUT, IT'S A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT ACTUALLY LAYS DOWN ON TOP OF THE GARBAGE. SO WE HAVE ALMOST DRASTICALLY ELIMINATED THE LITTER COMING FROM THE TRUCK. IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN AND SOMETHING DID COME OUT, IT WOULD BE VERY SPECIFIC TO THE DRIVER AND THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW THE ACTUAL PROCESS. BUT IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM NOT TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS. 'CAUSE WHEN THEY'RE TRAVELING, THEY NEED TO INSERT THAT PACKER ASSIST TO MAKE SURE IT LAYS DOWN ON TOP OF THE GARBAGE SO THAT IT'S NOT ABLE TO COME UP. SO YOU'VE SEEN A DIFFERENCE? A HUNDRED PERCENT. THAT'S AWESOME. THAT IS TERRIFIC. NOW, IF A DRIVER ACCIDENTALLY KNOCKS THE CART DOWN AND THEN GARBAGE SPILLS, THE EXPECTATION IS, YOU KNOW, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE THING THAT WE TALK ABOUT EVERY DAY. SO IF A DRIVER DOES DO THAT, WE ABSOLUTELY WANT THE RESIDENT TO CALL US AND LET US KNOW. BUT WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE IS THE DRIVER GET OUT OF THEIR TRUCK, PICK UP THE PAPER, STAND THEIR CART UP AND TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMER. UM, SO HOW MANY TRUCKS, UM, NEW TRUCKS DO YOU NOW HAVE ON THE STREET? HOW MANY ARE YOU HAVING TO REPLACE? OVER 71? WE REPLACED ALL OF 'EM. OKAY. SO HAVE THEY ALL BEEN REPLACED NOW? YES. THE LAST ONE CAME IN LAST WEEK. ALRIGHT, THAT'S, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC. SO, UM, TELL US TOO, SHARON, I KNOW WITH THE NEW CONTRACT THAT CAME OUT, WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY ARE REPUBLIC'S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PARISH NOW? SO WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GARBAGE, WHICH IS TWICE A WEEK, WHICH IS YOUR CART, RIGHT? GARBAGE AND RECYCLING, WHICH RECYCLING IS ONCE A WEEK. NOW, ONE THING I DID WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS NOT ONLY DID WE GET BRAND NEW GARBAGE TRUCKS FOR THE GARBAGE CART, BUT WE ALSO GOT BRAND NEW RECYCLE TRUCKS FOR THE RECYCLE CART. NOW WE HAVE GOTTEN, THEY, THE TRUCKS LOOK IDENTICAL. SO WE'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT, WELL I THINK YOU'RE PUTTING MY RECYCLING IN MY GARBAGE CART OR IN THE TRUCK. BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE PUTTING RECYCLING STICKERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THOSE TRUCKS SO THAT YOU'RE AWARE THAT IT IS A RECYCLING TRUCK. BUT THEY DO, THEY'RE IDENTICAL BECAUSE WE DID THAT ON PURPOSE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE EXACT SAME TYPE OF TRUCK SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE VIDEO FOOTAGE, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT LITTER IS COVERED AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS. THAT'S REALLY TERRIFIC. SO, YOU KNOW, UM, ONE DAY A WEEK WE DO PUT [00:05:01] OUT TWO CARTS IN ONE DAY. SO I KNOW I GO DOWN AND I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THEIR CARTS RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. HOW SHOULD WE POSITION OUR CARTS NOW AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAYS? SO WE REALLY DO NEED THE HELP FROM THE PUBLIC ON THIS BECAUSE THE ARM OF THE TRUCK HAS GOT TO HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO PHYSICALLY GO OUT AND GRAB IT, BRING IT UP THE, YOU KNOW, UP AND DUMP IT AND BRING IT BACK DOWN. THEY NEED TO BE A MINIMUM OF THREE FEET APART AND THREE FEET APART FROM NOT JUST EACH OTHER, MEANING THE GARBAGE CART AND THE RECYCLE CART, BUT ALSO THREE FEET APART FROM ANY OBSTACLES, LIKE A MAILBOX, LIKE A LIGHT POLE, LIKE A PARKED CAR, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO THAT BECAUSE THESE TRUCKS TYPICALLY, THEY PICK UP THE CART AND LAY IT RIGHT BACK IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT THEY PICK IT UP FROM. AND USUALLY THE ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS WE'LL GET IS THE GARBAGE TRUCK KNOCKED OVER MY RECYCLE CART. AND TYPICALLY IT'S BECAUSE IT'S TOO CLOSE. BUT THE, WHAT THE DRIVER SHOULD DO IS GET OUT, MOVE THE CARTS APART, SERVICE THEM, AND THEN PUT A TAG ON THERE TO LET THE HOMEOWNER KNOW COULD YOU PLEASE PUT THESE CARTS THREE FEET APART SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GRAB 'EM. OKAY. NOW WE WILL TAG THEM UPWARDS OF THREE OR FOUR TIMES BEFORE WE'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, DOING THE VIDEO AND THEN WE CAN SEND THE VIDEO IN SHOWING PLEASE PUT YOUR CARTS THREE SPACE 'EM OUT, THREE FEET APART. UM, SO WITH THE NEW TRUCKS, I KNOW WITH THE OLDER TRUCKS, THERE WAS A LOT OF TIMES THAT OUR GARBAGE CARTS GOT DESTROYED. MM-HMM. DAMAGED. UM, ARE YOU FINDING THAT WITH THE NEW TRUCKS AND O AND LET ME JUST PIGGYBACK ON THAT QUESTION. UM, IF THEY DO NEED A NEW CART, HOW DO THEY GO ABOUT GETTING A NEW CART? SO TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION, SO WE TOOK OVER THE CART CONTRACT WITH THIS NEW CONTRACT AND THE CITY WAS TYPICALLY SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON CARTS ANNUALLY, BUT WEREN'T UTILIZING, YOU KNOW, THE WARRANTY PROGRAM. WE'VE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF PICKING UP THE OLDER CARTS AND THE ONES THAT ARE DAMAGED. 'CAUSE A CART TYPICALLY ONLY LASTS 10 YEARS. AND YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW MANY CARTS ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE OLDER, 10 OLDER THAN 10 YEARS. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE GO OUT AND IF SOMEONE SAYS, MY CART'S BROKEN, WE GO OUT, WE BRING 'EM A NEW CART, AND WE BRING THAT OTHER CART IN, WELL THAT CART IS ASSOCIATED WITH A NUMBER AND THAT NUMBER TELLS US WHERE IT FALLS IN WARRANTY. AND I'LL TELL YOU, TYPICALLY I THINK, DON'T QUOTE ME, BUT IT'S BEEN OVER TWO, $2 MILLION A YEAR THEY WERE SPENDING ON CARTS. AND WE HAVE NOT SPENT THAT. WE GET WARRANTY FOR WARRANTY. SO IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU TAKE, IF WE PICK UP, YOU KNOW, 500 WARRANTY CARTS AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, THEY BRING ME 500 NEW CARTS AT NO CHARGE TO THE CITY. SO IT HAS BEEN A BIG PLUS FOR THAT. NOW WITH THE, IF YOU NEED A CART OR IF YOU JUST NEED YOUR LID REPAIR, WE WILL, OUR, OUR CART PEOPLE WILL GO OUT AND REPAIR. SO IF YOUR LIDS BROKEN, THEY'LL GO OUT, YOU HAVE YOUR CART AT THE CURB, THEY'LL GO AND GIVE YOU A NEW LID OR THEY'LL FIX THE BAR IN THE FRONT OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. BUT IF YOU NEED A NEW ONE, THEY'LL PICK UP THE OLD ONE AND THEY'LL DELIVER YOU A NEW ONE AT THE CURBSIDE. SO YOU CALL 3 1 1. OKAY. AND YOU PUT IT IN Q ALERT AND THEN THEY NOTIFY US AND THEN WE PUT YOU ON THE SCHEDULE. WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY OLD CART? WE'LL TAKE IT. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO BECAUSE WE WANT IT TO BE WARRANTY SO THAT WE CAN GET A FREE ONE FOR ONE. OKAY. OKAY. SO NOW THAT YOU ARE ONLY, UM, PICKING UP TRASH AND RECYCLABLES, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE LIMBS AND THINGS. SHOULD WE PUT LIMBS TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, SHARON, OF THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE PUTTING IN OUR TRASH CANS? SO HISTORICALLY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE SEE DURING THE SPRING IS PEOPLE HAVE A TENDENCY TO GO CLEAN THEIR SHEDS OUT THE STORAGE ROOM. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE POOLS WILL TAKE THEIR OLD POOL CHEMICALS, PUT 'EM IN THE GARBAGE CART AND REPRODUCE IT WITH SOME NEW POOL CHEMICALS. OKAY. WHAT THEY DON'T REALIZE IS THOSE ARE VERY FLAMMABLE. AND IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN GARBAGE TRUCKS ON FIRE, WHICH YOU'VE SEEN 'EM ON TV, I'M SURE IT'S TYPICALLY ONE OR TWO REASONS. ONE OR THREE. ONE, IT'S GONNA BE POOL CHEMICALS THAT WERE PUT IN THE CART. TWO, IT'S GONNA BE HOT COALS FROM A BARBECUE OR THREE, IT'S GONNA BE BATTERIES THAT SHOULDN'T BE PUT IN THERE. SO THOSE THREE THINGS WILL CAUSE FIRE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS TRUCK IS COMPACTING. SO EVERY TIME IT'S DOING THAT, IT'S CAUSING MORE FRICTION AND WE DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. SO WE WOULD PREFER, YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAS DOES A GREAT JOB OF HAZARDOUS WASTE DAY. MM-HMM TWICE A YEAR THAT THEY CAN GO OUT AND YOU CAN BRING YOUR BATTERIES, YOU CAN BRING YOUR POOL CHEMICALS, YOU CAN DO THOSE THINGS, JUST PLEASE DON'T PUT IT IN THE CART. WHAT ABOUT GRASS AND LIMBS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS? GRASS AND LIMBS, [00:10:01] WE WOULD PREFER FOR YOU NOT TO, 'CAUSE IT'S NON-COMPATIBLE MATERIAL. AND WHAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THAT AT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU CAN CHIP THAT UP AND USE IT AS EITHER, EITHER A COVER AT A LANDFILL OR YOU CAN USE IT FOR MULCHING. SO THAT'S KIND OF REPURPOSED. SO FOR US IT'S JUST LIKE GLASS, LIKE GLASS MAY, YOU KNOW, FOR WHAT WE DO IS, UM, WHEN YOU PUT GLASS IN A CART FOR THE RECYCLABLES AND WE CRUSH IT ALL UP, WELL WE BRING THAT TO THE LANDFILL AND THEY MIX IT IN THE ROAD BASE. SO IT'S REUSED. SO WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT AND IT, IT, IT, BUT, BUT MOST PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW. RIGHT, RIGHT. SO TALKING ABOUT THE RECYCLABLE, UM, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T THINK THAT WE RECYCLE OUR, OUR, UH, THROWAWAYS AND ALL. SO CAN YOU TELL, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? YES. SO I'M GONNA FLIP IT OVER TO ANDREAS HARRIS. HE'S MY OPERATIONS MANAGER AT OUR RECYCLING FACILITIES PLANT. WE OWN THE PLANT. WE'RE, WE ARE AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY COMPANY. WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR RECYCLING PLANT. WE DO A PHENOMENAL JOB OF SHIPPING IT OFF. AND, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO ANDREAS 'CAUSE HE'S, HE LOVES TO TALK ABOUT RECYCLING. THANK YOU SHARON. AND I LOVE RECYCLING. I'VE BEEN IN THE RECYCLING WORLD FOR OVER 20 YEARS, FROM LSU TO GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. NOW FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS WITH REPUBLIC SERVICES HERE IN BATON ROUGE, WE RECEIVE FROM ALL OF YOU UP TO 2,500 TONS A MONTH OF MIXED RECYCLABLES. AND WHAT OUR PLANT DOES, WE CALL IT THE MERV WE MATERIAL RECYCLING FACILITY. THE MAIN POINT IS TO SEPARATE ALL THE MIXED MATERIALS THAT YOU PUT IN YOUR CART. SO THIS WAY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE ALL THE COMMODITIES, EACH MATERIAL SEPARATED, WE BAIL IT AND WE SHIP IT TO THE MARKET FROM CARDBOARD, MIXED PAPER PLASTIC BOTTLES. THAT INCLUDES YOUR COCA-COLA BOTTLES. NUMBER ONE, YOUR MEAL JUGS, YOUR DETERGENT BOTTLES. NUMBER TWO PLASTIC NUMBER FIVE, YOGURT TUBS. AND ALSO WE HAVE THE ALUMINUM CANS AND THE TIN CANS. UM, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT REPUBLIC SERVICES DID IS TO PUT A GREAT PLATFORM OF INFORMATION IS A WEBSITE CALLED RECYCLING SIMPLIFIED. THIS IS A GREAT PLATFORM FOR THE COMMUNITY TO LEARN HOW A MRF WORKS, HOW A LANDFILL WORKS, AND GET JUST GENERAL INFORMATION ON WHAT TO DO IN BEST PRACTICES FOR RECYCLING. SO RECYCLING SIMPLIFIED.COM, GREAT RESOURCE ALSO FOR THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY FOR TEACHERS, WE HAVE SEPARATED. THERE IS A LITTLE LINK FOR EDUCATORS WITHIN THE PLATFORM AND THEY CAN CHOOSE DIFFERENT AGE. SO THIS WAY YOU CAN PRINT MATERIALS, DON'T WAIT FOR EARTH DAY TO DO IT, DO IT EVERY DAY. SO THIS WAY THE COMMUNITY IS FAMILIAR WITH, WITH HOW IMPORTANT RECYCLING IS. BUT WE'RE GONNA SHOW YOU RIGHT NOW ONE OF THE VIDEOS THAT IS IN RECYCLING SIMPLIFY.COM ABOUT RECYCLING. AND WE'LL COME BACK AFTER YOU SEE IT. [00:15:02] SO NOW YOU'RE MORE FAMILIAR WHAT WE DO IN A MURPH, RIGHT? THIS PARTICULAR PLANT THAT YOU SAW IN THE VIDEO IS IN PLANO, TEXAS. YOU CAN COME AND VISIT OURS IN BATON ROUGE. WE ARE LOCATED IN TOM DRIVE AND AIRLINE AND YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME CONTACT US. WE ARE GLAD TO GET YOUR GROUP TO VISIT. WE WALK THE PLANT AND YOU SEE LIVE WHAT WE DO WITH ALL THE EFFORTS THAT YOU DO AT HOME, PUT IN THE CLEAN RECYCLABLES IN THE RIGHT CONTAINER. THANK YOU ANDREAS. SO SHARON, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, CONSTITUENTS OUT THERE THAT MIGHT BE HANDICAPPED. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SERVICES FOR THEM? ABSOLUTELY. I'D LIKE TO TURN THAT OVER TO STEVE. STEVE, HE'LL TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE HANDICAPPED PROCESS AND HOW YOU BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR THAT. THANK YOU SHARON. AGAIN, I'M STEVE SMITH. I'M THE MANAGER OF MUNICIPAL SALES FOR REPUBLIC SERVICES. OUR HANDICAP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IS TO HELP, UH, HANDICAP PEOPLE ALLOW US TO PICK UP THEIR, UH, GARBAGE EFFICIENTLY. YOU INSTIGATE, YOU START IT WITH COULD DIALING 3 1 1. THEY'RE GONNA GIVE YOU A FORM YOU HAVE FILLED OUT, UH, WHEN THE APPROVALS ARE MADE AND ALL THAT. WE'LL BE NOTIFIED AT WHICH TIME WE WILL BRING YOU A NEW CART THAT HAS AN ORANGE LID TO IT. AND THE DRIVER WILL BE NOTIFIED THAT WHENEVER HE PASSES IN FRONT OF YOUR HOME, THAT HE GETS OUT OF THE TRUCK, GOES RETRIEVES THE CONTAINER, SERVICE IT AND PUTS IT BACK. HE FOUND IT. THANK YOU, SHARON. THANK YOU STEVE. SHARON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND JOINING US TODAY. I HOPE THAT HELPED EVERYONE, UM, TO UNDERSTAND BETTER HOW OUR GARBAGE PICKED UP AND OUR HANDICAP SITUATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES, PLEASE BE SURE TO CALL 3 1 1 AND THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. RECYCLING CAN BE A SIMPLE THING THAT HAS A BIG IMPACT ON ALL OF US REPUBLIC SERVICES CAN HELP YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. WITH THESE QUICK AND EASY TIPS TO BECOMING A BETTER RECYCLER, IT'S AS SIMPLE AS 1, 2, 3, FIRST, KNOW WHAT TO THROW. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS RECYCLE PAPER AND FLATTEN CARDBOARD, METAL CANS AND PLASTIC BOTTLES AND JUGS WITH THE LIDS ON THINGS LIKE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, YARD WASTE AND GREASY PIZZA BOXES ARE NOT RECYCLABLE. HERE ARE SOME COMMON HOUSEHOLD ITEMS THAT ARE MISTAKEN FOR RECYCLABLES. THESE ITEMS CAN CONTAMINATE OR INTERFERE WITH THE RECYCLING PROCESS. WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT. NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT TO RECYCLE, IT'S TIME TO MAKE SURE IT'S PROPERLY PREPARED. RECYCLABLES SHOULD BE EMPTY, CLEAN OF ALL FOOD AND LIQUIDS AND DRY BEFORE YOU PLACE THEM IN YOUR RECYCLING CONTAINER. THE LAST STEP IS THE EASIEST NEVER BAG OR BUNDLE YOUR RECYCLABLES. PLACING EACH ITEM IN THE CONTAINER INDIVIDUALLY ALLOWS US TO SORT RECYCLABLES FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY. THIS WILL ENSURE THEY BECOME QUALITY MATERIALS THAT CAN BE TURNED INTO USEFUL NEW PRODUCTS. BY FOLLOWING THESE THREE SIMPLE STEPS, KNOW WHAT TO THROW, EMPTY, CLEAN, DRY, AND DON'T BAG IT. YOU CAN HELP ELIMINATE CONTAMINATION AND MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF RECYCLABLE MATERIAL THAT GOES INTO A LANDFILL. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR HOMES, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR WORLD. LEARN MORE ON HOW TO BECOME A BETTER RECYCLER. AT RECYCLING SIMPLIFIED.COM. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.