Recyclable Items

There are some items that the City of Bowie is not able to accept for recycling. Fortunately, there are other options for you and we encourage you to make use of the resources listed below:

• Plastic shopping bags and other plastic films: 
  Nearly all grocery stores accept plastic shopping bags and clean, dry plastic films for recycling. You can also visit www.plasticfilmrecycling.org for more information on recycling plastic bags, plastic films and to find other places near you that accept these materials for recycling.
• Electronics: 
  • Electronic stores, such as Best Buy and Staples will recycle used electronics, wires, cables, cords, and batteries.
  • Prince George’s County operates an Electronic Recycling Acceptance Site at their Brown Station Sanitary Landfill
• Fluorescent Bulbs:
  Home Depot and Lowes stores accept used, unbroken fluorescent bulbs. The bulbs will be recycled by an environmental management company to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance. Florescent bulbs can also be recycled at the Prince George’s County Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site.
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• Styrofoam:
  The City of Bowie usually holds an annual shredding and Styrofoam recycling event in the Spring each year. Look for announcements about the event in the local papers or on this website. (Only hard Styrofoam like the kind found in the packaging of electronics, with glue and tape removed, is accepted.)

• If you missed the annual shredding and Styrofoam recycling in Bowie, consider going to 1298 Cronson Boulevard in Crofton. They accept styrofoam packaging materials for recycling at any time.

More information:

See the Maryland Recycles website for information on which materials are recyclable and find companies that will pick up recyclable material.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Read our tips about reducing waste, reusing items, and recycling everything from paper to plastic to electronics.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Compost page

Prince George's County Electronics Recycling

Prince George's County Electronics Recycling Acceptance Site

11611 White House Road

Upper Marlboro

Prince George’s County accepts a long list of electronics items for recycling at its Electronics Recycling Acceptance Site.

The site is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact County Click 3-1-1.

Electronic items accepted:

• Monitors/television (maximum of five [5] per resident)
• CPUs
• Circuit boards
• Mice
• Keyboards
• Computer speakers
• Laptop computers
• Printers
• Fax machines
• Telephone system
• Copiers
• Scanners
• Main frames
• Pagers
• Cell phones
• Any individual PC CPU component parts
• Ink jet and toner cartridges (from printers and fax machines)
• CD players
• Radios / stereos
• VCRs
• Wire
• Cable
• Surge protectors

Hazardous Materials

Prince George's County
Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site
Brown Station Landfill
Upper Marlboro

Prince George’s County operates a Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site at the Brown Station Sanitary Landfill that is available to all Prince George’s County residents. The list of items accepted is provided below.

Visit the County website or dial County Click 3-1-1 for more information.

Items accepted at the Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site in Upper Marlboro:

• Acid Car Batteries
• Fluorescent Light Bulbs
• Oil-Based Paints, Solvents, Varnishes, Stains
• Automotive Fluids and Fuels
• Gas Grill Propane Tanks, Helium Balloon Tanks, Fire Extinguishers
• Poisons, Insecticides, Herbicides, Fertilizers
• Cooking Oil
• Swimming Pool Chemicals

Construction Debris

While the City of Bowie can collect minor debris with the household trash collection, large amounts of construction debris must be specially handled since the Prince George’s County prohibits City trucks from dumping large amounts of construction and demolition (C&D) material into their landfill.
 
 Disposal Options for Construction Debris (CD):

• Self delivery to Prince George’s County Landfill: 
  You may take small loads of C&D material directly to the Prince George’s County’s landfill. See the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill website for limits (currently one pickup truck load per year).
• Private Waste Providers:
  Several companies provide services to delivery empty roll off containers and will then collect them and dispose of the debris for a fee. Prior to ordering a dumpster at your home, please contact the City’s Code Compliance office to ensure you stay in compliance with the City Code.
•  Private Rubble Landfills:
  The Ritchie Reclamation Landfill, located at 2001 Ritchie Marlboro Rd, Upper Marlboro, is a permitted, privately owned landfill that accepts C&D materials for a fee. They can be contacted at 301-350-4059.
•  Recycling Resources: 
  Several private companies recycle specific C&D materials such as asphalt shingles, concrete, and bricks. The Maryland Recycles website provides information on these companies and the materials they accept.

Prince George's County Yard Waste Drop-off Options
If any resident wishes to deliver yard waste to drop-off locations, the County offers the following options:

 Prince George’s County Composting Facility #301-627-6388
 6550 Maude Savoy Brown Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772  
 Accepts yard waste Monday - Friday 7am - 3:30pm  
 $10 minimum up to 400lbs  

 Prince George's County Convenience Drop-Off Center #301-952-7625  
 3501 Brown Station Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772  
 Accepts trash, recycling, and yard waste           Monday - Saturday 7am - 6pm
 Cars, Vans, SUVs - No Charge  
 Yard Waste - in brown paper bags, small branches and tree limbs bundled up to 4ft in length and 4 inches in diameter, no stumps or  logs, no plastic bags

 Limiting the Junk Mail You Receive
The City currently provides curbside newspaper and junk mail recycling for residents. However, not having recyclables generated in the first place is even better! The individual junk mail pieces sent to households in Bowie numbers in the tens of thousands every year.

There is something you can do about it!

Send a postcard or letter to: 

Mail Preference Service

Direct Marketing Association

P.O. Box 643

Carmel, NY 15012-0643  

Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service." For up to five years, this will stop mail from all member organizations that you have not specifically ordered products from. 

Those who have used this service say that it really works. After all, how many new credit card solicitations do you need? The five minutes you take to contact this service will save you many times the return of your investment, and will help the environment in the process.