Brooklyn Park residents, it's time to embrace your inner environmentalist because Recycling Week is here! From May 6 through May 10, the city is urging citizens to get those blue bins out bright and early. Don't be the neighbor causing a collection kerfuffle, have your bins at the curb by the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. Your friendly recycling crews are working flat out until 6:00 p.m. to clear the decks, but give them a break and keep your carts a safe distance from other objects, according to the City of Brooklyn Park.

When it comes to what goes in your cart, remember, loose materials only – no bags, please. Official sources tell us plastic bags are a no-go, as they'll be ditched straight into the trash at the sorting plant. And those seemingly innocent paper bags? They're also offenders. They can get wedged in the compaction process, thwarting a successful sort later on," as stated by the City of Brooklyn Park.

Now, for those tech-savvy recyclers, or those simply looking for a digital nudge to remember their recycling duties, the Brooklyn Park HRG Recycling app might be your new best friend. This app will send reminders and service alerts quicker than you can say "sustainable living." Plus, with a searchable database right at your fingertips, you'll never again wonder whether that yogurt container is recyclable or destined for the landfill. Available in various languages, including English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese – the app is a veritable United Nations recycling tool, as per the City of Brooklyn Park. Snag it from your preferred app store now.

Don't fret, the Recycling Division is at your service. Shoot them an email or give them a ring at 763-493-8006, from the reasonable hours of Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.