Enroll in the blue bag crew recycling program
By enrolling in the Blue Bag Crew, you pledge not to use Blue Bags for any other purpose other than recycling. After enrolling, you will receive your Blue Bags for recycling by the driver dropping a roll in your driveway. Place your recycling Blue Bags filled with recyclables into your cart along with your trash bags. To request more Blue Bags, tie a Blue Bag (or any plastic grocery bag) onto the handle of your trash can, the driver will drop off a new roll of Blue Bags when they see you’ve tied a bag on your cart.
Blue Bags are not available at Cottleville City Hall.
BLUE BAG CREW CHANGE: No More than One Roll of Blue Bags Allowed within 60-Day Period
If you are a Blue Crew member who received Blue Bags less than 60 days ago, and you tie a plastic bag on your trash cart handle, a new roll of Blue Bags will be delivered to your address at the end of that 60-day period.
If you need additional Blue Bags quicker than 60 days since you last received Blue Bags, you may come to Recycle City at 131 Ecology Drive to pick up a roll.
Blue Bag costs continue to rise. This new rule helps control costs, while providing plenty of Blue Bags for normal use. Each roll contains 26 Blue Bags.
Cottleville residents may enroll in the Blue Bag Crew in order to recycle curbside with Blue Bags. When they enroll in the Blue Crew, residents promise to only use Blue Bags for recycling—not for regular trash, yard waste, or any other improper use.
Blue Crew members recycle using Blue Bags by placing recyclable containers in one Blue Bag and paper items in a separate Blue Bag.
**If you live within a multi-family complex, such as an apartment or condominium, you can sign up for the Blue Bag Crew program and receive a one-year supply of Blue Bags delivered to your home. When your Blue Bag is full place the Blue Bag in one of the dumpsters at your complex along with your trash bags. When the driver picks up the trash and Blue Bags from the dumpster, the load will be taken to Recycle City for sorting and the Blue Bag items will be recycled.
Multi-family units will need to contact the solid waste department to request more blue bags.
How to Recycle with Blue Bags
PAPER GOODS go in one Blue Bag
Paper-based products include paper items that are not soiled or contaminated with food. Paper items can include:
• Newspaper (includes inserts)
• Magazines, telephone books, computer paper and junk mail
• BROWN paper bags, paper gift bags, paper shopping bags
• Small pieces of cardboard, including cereal boxes, shoe boxes and tissue boxes. Larger pieces of cardboard can be placed in your cart and will be separated at Recycle City
CONTAINERS go in a second Blue Bag
Containers can include:
• Plastic containers (clear or color) with a recycle symbol on them. Please leave the caps on. Lightly rinse if necessary – e.g., ketchup or food containers. Exceptions: Please, no #4 (styrofoam), no #6 (films), and no #5 that is black because the facility cannot process it.
• Aluminum cans (leave the pull tab on), no tin pans or tin foil, beverage containers only
• Glass bottles and jars (rinse out and leave the lids on)
• *Tin cans* *It is not required to remove the paper labels, but is appreciated if you do!
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:
1) If an item is not listed above, do NOT place it in a Blue Bag or all of the items in the Blue Bag could end up at the landfill. When in doubt, throw it out!
2) Do NOT combine containers and paper in the same Blue Bag, because the items will end up in a landfill. We use separate conveyor lines for each type of product.
3) Our "dual stream recycling system" relies on separating and placing recyclable items in Blue Bags and then placing those Blue Bags in your trash cart alongside regular trash bags. This system makes St. Peters' recycled items marketable!
Please DO NOT include these items in Blue Bags:
• Plastic bags, zip lock bags, film, or newspaper sleeves—put these in your regular trash or return plastic bags to store.
• Paper milk cartons or paper juice cartons—wax paper of any kind cannot be processed at Recycle City. • Styrofoam material—although packing material may have a #4 or #6 symbol, Recycle City is unable to process these products.
• NONE OF THE FOLLOWING: Black #5 containers, plastic straws, Solo cups, sauce packets, plastic cutlery, Keurig pods, plastic hangers, Rubbermaid products, DVD cases, plastic garden trays, windowpane glass, ceramics, light bulbs, wet paper, paper plates, paper towels, Kleenex, food wraps, diapers, or sanitary products.
• NO NEEDLES OR SHARPS!
Coming in January 2025 - Recycling Upgrade
Blue Bag Crew Recycle Contest
By enrolling in the Blue Bag Crew, your household is automatically entered into the annual recycling contest. Winner(s) are randomly selected and announced in December.
Shred It ... and Forget It
Cottleville Residents may bring up to 5 boxes of materials to be shredded. Take your boxes to the St. Peter's Environmental Services Building (135 Ecology Drive) to be shredded between 9 am and 12 pm on the following dates.
Your Cottleville Resident Privilege ID Card is required.
- April 13, 2024
- November 2, 2024
Recycle City features a convenient drop-off center.
135 Ecology Drive
St. Peters, MO 63376
*Cottleville Resident Privilege ID Card is required
St. Charles County Recycle Works Central,
60 Triad South Drive
St. Charles, MO 63304
*Paints, aerosols, batteries, pesticides, poisons, chemicals, solvents, etc.