Last Updated on August 31, 2026
Food Scraps Drop-Off Program at Charlestown
Collect your kitchen food scraps for composting instead of adding them to your trash or putting them in your garbage disposal.
Beginning Wednesday, September 2, and every Wednesday, the Conservation Committee will begin collecting food scraps (in 2.6 gallon compostable bags) at the Atrium between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. We will have a few bags to distribute, but you will need to purchase additional 2.6 gallon bags.
(Amazon sells them in units of 100 for approximately $20.00.) We have had discussion with our CVS Pharmacy to see if they might stock the bags in the future.
In October, we plan to expand the program to include all restaurants on campus as Wednesday drop-off locations.
If you have questions, check out the information about the program: Conservation Committee | Charlestown Retirement Community Residents, contact a member of the Conservation Committee, or email Jack Flood (Chair). Contact information can be found in the Resident Directory, available online in MyErickson.
Labor Day Holiday Trash/Recycling Schedule
Week of September 7 – 11, 2026
No trash pickup on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2026. Our revised schedule will be as follows:
TRASH Pickup Schedule All Buildings:
Tues. September 8
Fri. September 11
RECYCLING Pickup Schedule by building:
Weds. Sept. 9: Caton Ridge; Harborview; Herbert’s Run; St. Charles
Thur. Sept. 10: Arborside; Brookside; Chapel Court; Courtyard Crossing; Edgewood; Fountain Hill; Greentree Court; Maple Terrace; New Carroll; Parkview
Recycling Days
- Tuesdays – Caton Ridge, Harborview, St. Charles, Herbert’s Run
- Thursdays – Brookside, Edgewood, Parkview, Chapel Court, Courtyard Crossing, Greentree Court, Arborside, Maple Terrace, Fountain Hill, & New Carroll
- Place all recyclable items in blue recycling bins and/or brown paper bags. Please do not put recyclable items for collection in plastic bags.
- Leave outside your door the night before scheduled pickup or before 7:30 AM on pick-up morning.
- If you need a recycling bin, call Charlestown Housekeeping at 410-737-8838, x8595.
- You may request up to 2 bins.
Trash Pickup
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, beginning at 7:30 AM
- DO NOT PUT YOUR TRASH OUT ON THE EVENING BEFORE PICKUP BEFORE 9:00 PM.
- Trash containers by the elevators and the lobby entrances are not designed for household trash. Please wait until a regular trash day for door side pickup.
- Adjusted pick-up schedules will be posted if a holiday falls on a pick-up day.
What to Recycle
Here is an updated list of items that can be recycled. Please print out for your refrigerator. This information reflects what can be recycled outside your apartment on recycling days and reflects what is handled by Waste Management, the company that collects our recycling. It differs from material handling at the dining rooms which is dictated by Baltimore County rules for restaurants.
Special Recycling
Plastic Bags: Plastic bag disposal containers, are being collected in the laundry rooms.
Soft Plastic Details
Batteries: Drop in battery collection box in each laundry room.
Electronics (computers/monitors/printers/cell phones, etc.): Call Housekeeping (443-297-3783, #2 Housekeeping) by Monday. Pickup is on Tuesday.
Small Appliances (Toaster Ovens, etc.): Dispose with regular trash.
Syringe Needles: Place in a Sharps Container, which can be obtained by calling Housekeeping; do not place syringe needles in the trash. Call Housekeeping to pick up a full container.
Unwanted Medications:The Residents’ Council Health Committee partners with Charlestown’s Security and Emergency Services and the Baltimore County Police Department in holding a Medicine Disposal Day of prescription/non-prescription drugs quarterly. The collection is open to both Residents and Staff.
~~Consult the BLOG ARTICLE on proper disposal of unwanted medications. Empty medicine containers without lids, are recyclable; medicine container lids are not recyclable and should be put in the trash.
Food Scraps: The Residents’ Council Conservation Committee initiated a food scraps drop-off program at Charlestown in September, 2026. For more information, see Food Scraps Drop-Off Program at Charlestown | Charlestown Retirement Community Residents
Recycling Specifics
Recyclable Items
Remove all covers / caps.
Throw away small covers / caps.
Recycle large metal cover.
#1 – #7 acceptable plastic
All plastic bottles and containers are recyclable. You may leave the caps on or throw the caps away.
Amazon prime bags are recyclable if you cut out the label.
Recyclable clamshells & various paper products
Light Bulbs
Many people throw away compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, but they should be recycled. They use tiny microchips to conduct electrical current. These include trace amounts of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. Place on your package shelf and call Maintenance for pick up. All other light bulbs should be put in trash.
Non-Recycling Specifics
Non-Recyclable
NO to paper coffee/drink cups and lids
NO to paper dessert and soup cups and lids
NO to paper napkins, towels & tissues
NO to anything labelled “compostable”
Candy Wrappers are not recyclable.
Why are Candy Wrappers not recyclable? Candy wrappers such as snickers, skittles, reeses, and other enjoyable candies are made of recyclable materials, but the problem is that these materials are mixed. These wrappers are mostly made of plastic, tin, and multiple other materials mixed together which makes them very hard, not to mention tedious, to break down.
