O-K…so Christmas Day has come and gone…and I don’t know what your living room floor looks like. But there’s probably some clean-up work to do. Kristin Lawton with the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency knows there’s all kinds of debris you want to get rid of.
“Cardboard boxes, catalogs and magazines, gift boxes, gift bags, greeting cards and envelopes, and of course wrapping paper. The important thing to remember about those gift bags and cards and wrapping paper is, if they’re paper items they can go in the blue bin. But any of those metallic or glossy foil items, those need to go in your trash, because they are not recyclable in the paper stream.”
Lawton realizes it takes a little more effort to separate just what can be recycled…but suggests a little organization on clean-up. And when it’s time to get rid of the tree, there are also some suggestions, whether you have curbside pick-up or bring it to a mulching station.
“We do ask that you put them out to your curb or bring them to OCRRA (compost stations) completely naked, as in no plastic bags, not lights, no tinsel, no strands of anything, no ornaments. What happens with these trees is they are chipped up and made into mulch and we can’t be chipping up your tinsel and other things because that wouldn’t make very good mulch.”
Lawton says the compost sites are open December 29th thru January 10th…they’re in Amboy and Jamesville.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WAY TO GET RID OF TV'S, OTHER ELECTRONICS
A change in state law might be changing how you get rid of old electronicsthis holiday season. Plenty of people around Central New York might have received new televisions, video games, computers or other electronics for Christmas of Chanukah. Kristin Lawton of the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency says it’s become illegal to simply throw certain electronic items away.
“This is a New York State Law that’s meant to encourage people to recycle and do the right thing with their electronics. Televisions, like all electronics are eligible for recycling at various locations in our community. We encourage you to call in advance, before you drop the items off, because each location has different requirements. You can also access a list of manufacturers who have mail-in programs.”
Lawton explains even if you buy a new TV from one manufacturer to replace one from a different company, they still have to take back the old model to recycle. The State Department of Environmental conservation is also urging electronic recycling…pointing out that many items have hazardous materials they want to keep out of landfills – and therefor the environment. Find out more about your options at OCRAA’s website: O-C-R-R-A-dot-com.
