Reduce, reuse, recycle

#MiddleburyCT #TransferStation #Recycle

Signs at the transfer station identify where to put household waste and remind residents they may lose dump (transfer station) privileges if they do not recycle. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

The more modern and universal rendition of the old New England saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without” might be “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” Those three words are key to helping our environment (a great goal every day, but especially as we approach Earth Day on April 22).

The Connecticut DEEP says, “On average, each one of us (at home, at work, and at play) produces over five pounds of solid waste each day – just over one pound of that gets recycled, and the rest, about four pounds, gets disposed. This adds up to almost 3/4 ton of trash disposed per person, per year.” That’s 1,500 pounds of trash per person, and it’s pretty scary because landfills are filling faster than we can identify new locations to pile our garbage, and fewer facilities incinerate it.

We can reduce what we throw out by doing things like buying products with minimal packaging, taking lunch to work or school in reusable containers, or just buying less in general. An example of reuse is using reusable water bottles instead of single use plastic water bottles.

One reason to recycle is it helps the town budget. First Selectman Ed St. John said that 600 to 700 tons of the more than 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste leaving our town each year are recycling. For that, the town pays only the transportation cost; it has to pay a disposal fee for everything else.

Our town transfer station makes recycling pretty easy. Resident Eric Connery, there on a blustery March day, said, “It’s convenient; it’s nice to have it. You just have to put things in the right container.”

Most recyclables can go into the big recycling dumpster. Containers should be cleaned out first. Toss in:

Most kinds of paper: Cardboard, newspapers and inserts, magazines, junk mail, catalogs, white and colored paper, shoe boxes, computer paper, cereal boxes. Don’t toss in paper soiled with food (pizza or take-home containers) or paper with foil or glitter. Plain tissue paper can be composted at home.

Many plastics: Plastic food, beverage and detergent containers No. 1 – No. 7, including milk and juice cartons, juice boxes and plastic one-use cups (without their lids or straws.)

Metal: Aluminum, steel, tin and food trays and empty food aerosol containers, foil and cans and metal lids.

Glass: Food and beverage jars, bottles and jugs. No drinking glasses.

If you have a question about what can be recycled, or what goes where, Brett Kales, one of the transfer station staff, said, “Just ask! There is always someone here.” Or check on the town website, middlebury-ct.org/transfer-station/pages/acceptable-recyclables.

Other items can be disposed of at the transfer station, and some may incur a fee as the town needs to pay more to dispose of them. Disposal fees, either by weight or per item, apply to bulky waste (big dumpster on the right). That includes mattresses, old furniture, bags of old sheets, wood, large plastic outdoor toys, plastic bins, garden pots, large empty tanks, pots and pans, etc. When bringing items like this, residents need to first stop on the scale to the left of the entrance to get their vehicle weighed and then weigh again and pay a fee on the way out.

The dumpster for scrap metal is used for tin, white metal, steel, aluminum, brass, copper, items made primarily from metal, completely empty small metal tanks etc.

Items that can be recycled in the small shed across from the dumpsters include motor oil, home heating oil, cooking oil, diesel, kerosene, antifreeze, automotive batteries, motorcycle batteries and more. Items containing freon cost $10 each to leave there.

Dispose of leaves, branches and other garden waste on the lower level to the right of the main garbage area. You also can get free mulch here, made from those branches and tree parts.

Recycle all kinds of electronics and pretty much all small appliances including computers, printers, TVs, copiers, fax machines, video game machines, tablets, modems, keyboards, computer mice, telephones, cell phones, microwaves, and small alkaline batteries in front of the small building to the right of the dumpsters. There is no charge for these.

Regular household garbage (and given the lists above, that can be a very small amount) goes in the dumpsters marked “Household Waste.”

Save hazardous waste and latex paint for the Household Hazardous Waste Collection days sponsored by the Naugatuck Valley Council of governments. The next collection is in Middlebury on Saturday, April 22. Look for “Dispose of hazardous waste” to be published here on April 3.

A few things cannot be recycled but can go in household trash – plastic foam, paper with foil or glitter on it, prescription bottles, shredded paper (compost or throw out), small pieces of scrap metal. Again, when in doubt, ask at the transfer station.

Middlebury residents only may use the Middlebury Transfer Station at 1 Service Road (enter at the light by Maggie McFly’s). First time users should bring proof of residency, stop at the building on the way in and get a sticker. It is open Tuesday – Friday from 7 a.m to 2:45 p.m and Saturday from 7:30 a.m to 3:15 p.m., except for holidays. The transfer station can be reached at 203-758-1616. Residents who don’t want to use the transfer station can pay a trash hauler to pick up their trash and recycling.

Thanks to reader Carol for her suggestion for this month’s article. If you have an idea, or any feedback, contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or online at middleburylandtrust.org. Meanwhile, Happy Hiking!