Guidelines on recycling

Below are outlined guidelines on recycling that will help you whether you choose to do kerbside recycling or you personally deliver recyclable materials to the recycling centres.

Accepted Materials

The following materials are accepted at the Recycling Centre without restriction. Asterisks (*) indicate the items which are also eligible for kerbside collection.

For items eligible for kerbside collection, please note that packaging requirements and/or restrictions before leaving materials out for pickup. Additionally, recyclables left for kerbside collection must be placed in metal or plastic containers only.

Batteries:

           Alkaline batteries such as AAA, AA, C, D and 9-volt batteries now fall below federal and state hazardous waste standards and should be thrown out with your household trash. Rechargeable batteries must be recycled. Drop-off boxes are located at the Recycling Centre and Health Department. Lead-acid car and motorcycle batteries will be accepted at the Recycling Centre. Button batteries still contain hazardous elements such as mercury and should be disposed of at a household hazardous waste event. They will not be accepted at the Recycling Centre.

Books:

Books are now accepted at the Recycling Centre and require no special handling. If your books are in good shape, consider donating them to a library. If your books are not added to the collection, they will be inventoried as stock for the library’s next book sale. All proceeds benefit the library and therefore, the community. Also, think about shelters, schools and religious organizations,books almost always have another life.

Branches:

Basic yard debris. Maximum acceptable branch size is 4 feet long by 4 inches in diameter. Branches that meet specified size requirements are accepted at the Recycling Centre year-round. There should be no stumps.

Cans*:

Aluminium (soda) and tin/steel (tuna) food and beverage cans. Remove lids and rinse clean. No paint/aerosol cans, pie plates or aluminium foil. Okay to co-mingle with glass and plastic at the Recycling Centre and for kerbside collection.

Cardboard and Chipboard*:

All corrugated paper materials, chipboard (cereal boxes, pizza boxes, and gift box, no waxed chipboard, as in orange juice cartons). Flatten, bundle and tie securely with cord (no tape or metal wire). Only corrugated cardboard and chipboard go in the compactor at the Recycling Centre. kerbside pickup rules are different. It is okay to co-mingle chipboard, mixed paper and brown paper bags. Maximum bundle weight: 50 lbs.

Clothing, Toys and Household Goods:

Non-profit drop-boxes are next to the attendant’s office. If the boxes are full, please notify the attendant. Do not leave food donations in these boxes.

Electronic Waste:

A drop-off receptacle for the disposal of home electronics is now available at the Recycling Centre. Accepted electronics include the following: televisions, computers, monitors, laptops, computer peripherals such as keyboards and mice, fax machines, VCRs and radios. Absolutely no kerbside collection.

Fluorescent Lights:

Unbroken lights only. See recycling attendant for proper disposal.

Glass*:

Clear, green/blue & brown beverage and food containers. No drinking glasses, ceramic dinnerware, crystal, light bulbs, plate, window glass, mirrors or lab (test tubes) glass. Remove caps and neck rings; rinse clean. They be co-mingle with plastic and cans at the Recycling Centre and for kerbside collection.

Grass Clippings:

Grass clippings may be dropped off at the Recycling Centre on weekends only. No other lawn debris. Put in containers (bags, garbage cans). Must bring to Recycling Centre; no kerbside collection.

Mercury Thermometers:

Glass thermometers containing mercury may be disposed of at the Health Department which has a receptacle for the collection of this common household item.

Mixed Paper*:

Newspapers, junk mail, telephone directories, catalogs, wrapping paper, magazines, books. computer paper, envelopes and card stock can also be accepted. These go in a specially designated container at the Centre. Okay to co-mingle kerbside collection: Place in recycling container or doubled brown bags and cross-tie with cord (no tape or metal wire); okay to include chipboard and brown bags. Secure mixed paper appropriately; you are responsible for retrieving loose paper. Do not use plastic bags, wire or tape to secure mixed paper. Maximum container/bundle weight: 50 lbs.

Motor Oil:

All kinds accepted. Transport in appropriate containers.

Plastic*:

Pourable plastic (mouth is smaller than the base) #1 and #2 containers only. Please, no tubs (ice cream/ butter/yogurt), motor oil or antifreeze bottles, any petroleum products, plastic bags, toys or trays. Remove caps, rinse clean and flatten. Okay to co-mingle with cans and glass at the Recycling Centre and for kerbside collection.

Scrap Metal:

Lawn chair frames, filing cabinets, tools, window frames, metal railings, nails, metal hangers, and some small appliances. Strip all non-metal materials. Consult with Recycling Centre attendants before leaving any scrap material. Must bring to Recycling Centre; no kerbside collection.

Tires*:

Automobile, truck and bike tires. Remove steel rims. Limit 4 per resident if bringing to the Recycling Centre; kerbside collection is limit 1 per pickup.

White Goods*:

Large household appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers etc.). No special handling required. kerbside collection is available year-round by advance arrangement. To have one or more of these items removed, all you need to do is call the Health Department.

Ineligible Materials

Ineligible materials are simply those that are not recycled and are safe to include with regular household trash. Please note, however, that the following types of containers must be completely empty before being disposed of: motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, kerosene and latex paint.

Materials Prohibited for recycling are

These Items are not accepted at the Recycling Centre.

• asbestos
• automobile fluids
• button batteries
• construction materials
• driveway sealer/tar
• gasoline
• herbicides
• insulation
• kerosene
• oil-based paints/stains
• pesticides
• pool chemicals
• propane tanks
• siding
• smoke detectors

Additional Information

Latex Paint:

Latex paint is not considered a hazardous waste, nor is it recyclable. It may be disposed of. If there is little paint left in the cans, open them and let them dry completely. The empty cans may then be thrown out with your regular trash. There are products on the market that will speed the drying process. You can also mix the leftover paint with kitty litter and put into a plastic bag. Mixture must be almost solid.

Glass recycling

Recycling glass is a simple but hugely beneficial process. Below are the 10 steps to recycling glass.

1.       Raw materials

Modern glass containers are manufactured using very precise, complex and highly controlled technology. However, the raw materials used are simple and abundant.

The four main ingredients:

       I.            Recycled glass

     II.            Sand

  III.            Soda ash

  IV.            Limestone

As much recycled glass is used as possible as this enables the other materials to melt at a lower temperature. The colour of the glass is controlled by the iron content and the addition of minor colouring agents.

Even though basic ingredients are used in vast quantities, accurate weighing and mixing to achieve precise proportions is absolutely critical. This procedure is carried out electronically in the batch house which supplies the mix to the furnace.

A typical furnace within the glass container industry will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year producing around 300 tonnes of glass a day. This production of glass is continuous for the furnaces’ lifetime of approximately 10 years.

Up to 90% recycled glass is mixed with raw materials and fed into the furnace where the recycled glass remelt s and becomes pure and pristine again.

2.     Glass container making

The glass is cut into ‘’gobs’’. These are individual pieces which are literally fired down into the forming machine. Within seconds the glass is pressed and blown into shape within a mould and emerges as a glass bottle jar or jar.

Each and every container is subjected to a rigorous series of quality checks which includes:

§  Automatic online, wall thickness inspection

§  Squeeze testing

§  Sealing surface inspection

§  Side wall scanning

§  Base scanning

At intervals a sample of the containers being produced is taken aside for dimensional checks, capacity checks and pressure testing. If any problems are found in production since the last check, it set aside for further inspection. This procedure is followed until the production again passes the tests.

The data from online and offline quality checks is fed continuously back to the ‘hot –end’ forming machine operators who can then make adjustments to remove the problem at the source.

Each container has a series of dots moulded into the in sweep which create a code number when ready by the online inspection machines. This quickly highlights any bottle faults being seen and faults in the mould which is creating it.

3.     Transportation to retailers     

The bottles and jars are filled with food and drinks and taken to retailers such as supermarkets where they are sold to consumers.

Many bottles of beer, spirits and soft drinks are direct to retailers such as pubs, restaurants and night clubs where they are sold to consumers.

4.     Use at home

The rest of the glass is taken home by consumers who eat or drink the products inside the bottles or jars.

They then make a crucial decision, do they throw it in the bin or take it to the recycling bank?.  If they throw it away it will go to landfill where it will stay forever, never breaking down. If they take it to be recycled, the whole cycle will begin again and the glass can go on being recycled again and again – forever.

5.     Dumping glass

Any glass which is put into the rubbish bin will go into landfill with all the other waste.

6.     Glass collection

Glass can be recycled at glass bank all over the country. Glass bank has always been colour separated. A small number are now being switched to mixed glass. It may not be possible for the industry to colour separate glass collected mixed from recycling banks, to get the maximum value and environmental benefit glass bank must remain colour separated.

Kerbside collection schemes make it easier and more convenient for the public to recycle their glass. In areas which introduce kerbside, the glass recycling rate usually doubles. It’s unfortunate that just few houses has kerbside collections of glass, this calls for a rapid  increase in order to meet glass recycling targets.

Glass collected at the kerbside is usually colour separated on the vehicle or is sold as mixed glass for colour separation or for use in alternative markets. Glass which is collected co – mingled is usually separated at a material recycling facility but is generally suitable only for low value markets.

7.     Commercial collection

Glass from pubs and clubs is usually collected colour separated in wheeled bins, but often it is collected in the mixed bins because of lack of space.

Where glass is collected mixed it can be colour separated and used within the container industry. This is happening now and will grow in the future as more collection in the pubs and clubs are established.

8.     Removing contaminants

Recycled glass contains contaminants which must be removed before the recycle glass is used to make new containers. Metal, paper, plastic, organics and pyro-ceramic must all be removed. This is done using manual inspection and high-tech equipment utilising metal detectors, vacuums, crushers, screens, lasers, digital cameras and even x-rays to detect and remove contamination.

Some recycling plants have colour separation facilities which use manual inspection and digital scanning cameras to separate glass which have been collected in mixed colour form. There is limited capacity for this process, which requires high levels of investment and produces relatively high waste levels. However, this technology will grow and is essential in making the most of glass recycling.

9.     Container making

Once the recycled glass has been cleaned and prepared it is mixed with raw materials and the whole process begins again.

This cycle can be repeated an infinite number of times and the quality of the glass will never deteriorate. Each time bottles and jars go round this cycle they generate environmental benefits:

§  345 kwh of energy is saved for every tonne used

§  225kg of CO2 is saved for every tonne used.

§  1.2 tonnes of raw materials quarrying is saved for every tonne used

§  1 tonne  of landfill  is saved for every tonne used

100% of recycled glass can be used to make new glass bottles and jars, without any loss in quality. Glass containers made with high levels of recycled glass are as pure and clear as those made solely from virgin raw materials. Green bottles are made with up to 90% recycled glass content. If more glass was recycled, recycling rates for all glass could be increased.

Alternative uses

Once the container industry has used around 350,000 tonnes each year other alternative markets are made available, such as:

§  Water filtration

§  Fluxing agents in bricks and clay pipes

§  Shot blasting

§  Aggregates

While these uses are much more beneficial than landfill they are less environmentally beneficial than close loop recycling into containers, for example even after all the transport has been taken into account , use in close loop container making is 50 times more beneficial to the environment than use in aggregates.

However, without alternate markets such as aggregates the extra green glass that is collected will undermine the value of all glass collection.