Do Not Use Plastics Bags For Recyclables
Recyclables should be placed loose in any container for collection, not in plastic bags, unless instructed to do so by your hauler. Increasingly large quantities of commingled recyclables are being collected at the curb and delivered to the county's Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in plastic bags. Plastic bags are not acceptable with our curbside recyclables, for they create processing problems by clogging the sorting equipment and seriously degrading the market value of the material sold. Also, please do not include clothes hangers in your recyclables. Many dry cleaners take unwanted hangers back for reuse.
Other Plastic Bags
Plastic grocery and carryout bags, as well as other plastic bags may be dropped off at any of several large grocery and retail stores for recycling. Each year, Americans throw away more than 100 billion plastic bags. Recycling these bags reduces waste, litter, and our demand for foreign oil. Recycled plastic bags provide valuable material to manufacturers of plastic lumber, plastic bags and other useful products.
Information on the recycling of plastic bags and the state’s legislation behind it can be viewed on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.