AKRON, Ohio – A new app can help answer questions about recycling in Akron, whether residents want to know if something is recyclable or when their pick-up is scheduled.

The Akron Recycles app, available for free in the Android and Apple stores and powered by ReCollect, is part of the city’s campaign with Keep Akron Beautiful to educate residents so they recycle more and do so correctly.

The app shows residents when pick-up is scheduled, or delayed, and sends alerts related to the city’s curbside service. Users can search the app’s “Waste Wizard” tool to see whether a material should go in the trash or recycling.

For example, look up “garden hoses” and the app says to put them in the trash bin. A search for “egg carton” yields multiple responses for whether it’s paper, Styrofoam or plastic. Typing in “yard trimmings” shows that biodegradable materials should be placed in lawn and leaf bags, and the app reminds users to schedule bulk waste pick-up by calling the city’s 311 line.

The Recycling Partnership, a national nonprofit that provides support to local governments for their recycling programs, funded the first two years of the app through a grant that is about $10,000 a year, according to a city spokeswoman.

Over the summer, the city launched the Recycle Right campaign in partnership with Keep Akron Beautiful, The Recycling Partnership and Summit ReWorks. The initiative included city workers checking recycling carts and leaving tags with specific feedback if any items were recycled incorrectly, in an effort to reduce contamination.

“This campaign taught us that most residents want to recycle correctly and support a sustainable program in Akron, but they don’t always know what should and should not be placed in recycling carts,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a statement. “Through the free Akron Recycles app, we can offer residents continuing education in a convenient, easy-to-use format that is available at your fingertips.”

The goal of the “Recycle Right” campaign is to reduce contaminants in the recycling system by at least 25%, the city said previously.

For more information about Akron’s recycling program, visit www.akronohio.gov/recycling.

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