As of November 2, 2020, Tompkins County collectors will reject curbside recycling bins that contain contaminants, whereas previously, collectors only issued warnings. The Department of Recycling and Materials Management (DRMM) hopes the rejection procedure will teach and enforce residents about curbside guidelines to create a cleaner recycling stream. Collectors will not collect contaminated bins, and they will leave red rejection stickers that indicate which items are unacceptable. Residents with rejected bins should remove contaminant materials, and then either wait for the next scheduled pick up day or bring their items to the recycling center (122 Commercial Ave. Ithaca).
We recycle in order to divert items from the landfill and re-form materials into new products, instead of extracting more raw resources from the Earth. Manufacturing industries want post-consumer items to create products, from paper egg cartons to plastic buckets to metal car parts. Industries are willing to buy items that are collected by recycling facilities such as the Tompkins County DRMM. The income that DRMM makes from these sales helps cover transportation and processing costs of residents’ household items.
Industries are not willing to pay for contaminated materials, so when we contaminate our recycling stream, we lower the value of recyclables. If industries don’t buy our materials, recycling centers loses income, making it hard to continue their free service of curbside pick-up. This would harm the entire recycling system that the county has in place. Additionally, if the contaminated materials are unusable, they will be sent back to landfills where they do no good but take up space. In order to make recycling an effective and sustainable process, we need to be more vigilant about how and what we recycle.
GUIDELINES
The only materials to recycle curbside:
- Cardboard & mixed paper
- Glass containers (clear, green, brown)
- Metal cans & foil
- #1, #2, and #5 plastic containers
- Paper cartons and drink boxes
*You are allowed to leave staples in paper, and lids, labels, and neck rings on containers.
Common contaminants to keep out:
- Plastic bags or plastic film
- Any Styrofoam® product (ex. egg cartons, packing peanuts, etc.)
- #3, #4, #6, #7 or unmarked plastics
- Drinking glasses, Pyrex®, or coffee pots
- Paper cups, tissues, napkins
- Syringes
- Containers from hazardous waste
- Compostable disposables
- Padded envelopes
- Hangers
- PVC pipes
- Masks, wipes, gloves
*Despite the triangle symbol that some Styrofoam® products or unnumbered plastics display, these products are not accepted. Only plastics with recycling triangle labeled #1, #2, and #5 are allowed due to the limited market.
*Additional materials such as electronics or yard waste are not accepted for curbside collection, however they can be dropped off at the recycling center. If you are unsure about how to recycle or dispose of materials, RecycleTompkins.org has a useful “What Do I Do With…?” tool where you can search for items.
How to prepare your materials:
- As you collect items throughout the week, do not place them in plastic bags because plastic bags cannot be recycled curbside.
- Wash out dirty containers. Food and drink residues are not appreciated.
- Flatten all cardboard boxes. You can place them in your bin, or if they do not fit, you may make a stack next to your bin.
How to prepare your bin:
- Your recycling bin must be labeled clearly with an “R” and placed so that the “R” faces the road.
- If your recycling day is the same as your trash day, keep the bins separated by at least 2 feet so that collectors can distinguish easily between the bins.
Pick-up dates and times:
- Every neighborhood in the county has a scheduled bi-weekly recycling day. You can easily find your pick-up date by entering your address in the “Find My Recycling Day” tool on RecycleTompkins.org.
- You must place your bin on the curb before 4am in the city of Ithaca or before 6am elsewhere in the county, so most people put their bins out the night before.
Don’t let your bin get rejected; stay up to date with recycling guidelines, refer to RecycleTompkins.org if you are unsure, clean recyclables, and prepare your bin properly to streamline the recycling process. Your actions make a difference!
Natural Resource Spotlight on Aluminum:
Found most commonly in beverage cans and pie tins, aluminum is the most valuable material in your recycling bin. Unlike plastic or paper, aluminum’s properties do not degrade throughout the recycling process, so it can be recycled infinitely. Extracting pure aluminum from its ore involves many steps (including electrolysis), so extraction is extremely energy intensive. However, recycling aluminum uses only 5 percent of that energy. Since recycled aluminum products are the same quality but require 95 percent less energy than virgin aluminum products, industries prefer to buy aluminum from recycling centers. Since aluminum is the most desired recyclable on the market and saves an enormous amount of energy, aluminum products will be your best contribution to the recycling bin.