As the weather gets warmer, many of us are pulling out our summer gear and heading outside. This summer, you may come across some unique items that you are unsure how to properly recycle or dispose of.
The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority offers the following tips to help residents recycle right all summer long.
- Pool Floats – Both foam and blow-up pool floats are garbage items. Do not place in your recycling bin.
- Goggles – Goggles are not recyclable. If they cannot be reused, please place in your regular garbage.
- Sunscreen Bottles/Tubes – Hard plastic sunscreen bottles are recyclable, just make sure you empty them out first. However, flexible tubes of sunscreen (similar to toothpaste tubes) are garbage items. Squeezable tubes are not recyclable because they combine many layers of different materials that are difficult to sort out at recycling mills. Do not place squeezable tubes (toothpaste, sunscreen, hair products) in your recycling bin.
- Pool Chemicals – Pool chemicals and other hazardous wastes (paints, fertilizers) are accepted at the Authority’s Utica EcoDrop on Leland Ave from April 1st to September 30th. There is no charge for residents of Oneida & Herkimer County to dispose of hazardous waste.
- Inflatable Pools/Plastic Pools – Place inflatable pools in your regular garbage. They are not accepted in curbside recycling bins, and they are not accepted as part of plastic film recycling programs. Hard plastic kiddie pools/wading pools are accepted for recycling at the Authority’s Utica and Rome EcoDrops as a bulky rigid plastic.
- Lawn Furniture – Hard plastic or metal lawn furniture is recyclable at the Utica and Rome EcoDrops as either scrap metal or bulky rigid plastic. Remove all cushions/padding before utilizing these recycling sites. If your furniture is made of wood, or multiple materials combined, it is a garbage item. Always consider donation or reuse before disposal.
“Because we only use seasonal items (like swimming goggles and inflatable pools) for a short period of time, most of us are not as well versed at how to dispose of these items as we are with the regular paper, plastic, metal and glass that we recycle year-round,” says Samantha Brown, Authority Recycling Coordinator. “By taking care to dispose of these summertime items correctly, each of us can directly reduce our region’s waste as well as conserve landfill space, natural resources, and energy,” she continued.
For more information on solid waste and recycling in Oneida and Herkimer Counties, please contact Authority Recycling Coordinator Samantha Brown at (315) 733-1224 ext. 2800 or visit www.ohswa.org. The Authority also encourages residents and businesses to visit www.AmIRecyclable.com, which provides users with a tool to quickly search thousands of items for proper recycling and disposal methods.