A drop-off location on Tucson’s southeast side for hard-to-recycle plastics has been shut down.
The reason for Friday’s shutdown of the Ward 4 council office neighborhood recycling center, at 8123 E. Poinciana Drive, is due to the continuous dumping of materials and debris in the parking lot, said Alyssa Tarpley, a spokeswoman for Tucson’s Environmental and General Services department.
Now, the area’s nearest location to leave orange-bagged plastics is the Los Reales landfill, 5300 E. Los Reales Road.
Residents near the Ward 4 drop-off have complained the amount of debris dumped at the site had been blowing into their neighborhood, Tarpley said.
Meanwhile, a warning of possible closure for similar reasons has been posted at another drop-off location, the Ward 6 council office at 3202 E. First Street, Tarpley said.
A “warning” sign has been placed at the hard-to-recycle drop-off near the Ward 6 council office, 3202 E. First St., because users keep dumping materials outside of the designated bins.
One of the warning signs posted at the Ward 6 office has a hand-written message that reads, “closing after the new year due to people that can’t follow directions!”
However, Tarpley told the Star Thursday, that this isn’t the case — yet.
Tarpley said the hand-written message was neither from Environmental Services nor the Ward 6 office.
The Ward 6 staff has become frustrated with the ongoing dumping, Tarpley said, but they’re willing to keep the drop off location operating as long as the warning signs work.
Closing of the Ward 4 council office’s location leaves Tucson with four neighborhood recycling centers, including the Ward 6 office. The other drop-off sites are:
- Ward 2, 7820 E. Broadway Blvd.;
- Ward 5 at 4300 S. Park Ave.;
- and Tucson Fire Station 15, 1925 S. San Antonio Drive, near South Mission Road and West San Juan Trail.
A plastic chair and bin sit next to the recycling container Thursday near the Ward 6 Council Office, 3202 E. First St. The city has posted a “warning” sign at the drop-off site because users keep dumping materials and debris outside of the designated bins. A drop-off near the city’s Ward 4 office closed for similar reasons.
Meanwhile, the Ward 2 office says it is happy with their current location and soon wants to add a receptacle for food waste, Tarpley told the Star.
The city’s partnership with the Hefty ReNew program began last summer. It was an extension of the ByFusion project that began in 2022, which was spearheaded by former city councilman Steve Kozachik.
Similar to Tucson’s plastic waste reduction program, Hefty ReNew collects hard-to-recycle plastics that are eventually transformed into building products, like plastic lumber.
Other plastic products, including trash bags, bubble wrap, straws, and styrofoam can be disposed of in Hefty ReNew orange bags.
For convenience, each orange bag features a list of hard-to-recycle items that can be collected for recycling.
The Hefty ReNew orange bags can be purchased at Walmart or Fry’s stores within Tucson city limits.
A free Hefty ReNew starter kit can be requested at HeftyRenew.com.
