By Susan Wineland
Orange Recycling Committee
Knowing if an item can be recycled and where to recycle it can sometimes be confusing. A helpful website is recyclect.com, where you can type an item in and find out how to recycle it.
One common thing people wonder how to recycle is ink toner cartridges. Many toner and ink cartridges can be refilled and reused. Stores such as Target, Staples and Best Buy will either refill your cartridge or recycle cartridges. Many of these stores also recycle various electronics waste, such as mobile phones, small electronic devices and media devices. These electronics are collected by vendors who resell some of the products for reuse or refurbish and recycle them.
Anything that can’t be reused is recycled by certified companies that maximize the recovery of the materials. Additionally, they assure you that all personal data is wiped from all devices or the device is destroyed so data is unrecoverable. The vendor provides proof of data destruction.
Another common item that people ask about is metal hangers. You can check with your local dry cleaner to see if they have a collection program. Many dry cleaners accept metal hangers for reuse. Some scrap metal recyclers accept metal hangers because they are usually made of steel. Some thrift stores, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, may accept metal hangers to use in their stores to hang and display clothing. You can also try offering metal hangers for free on neighborhood email lists, Buy Nothing, Craigslist or your local Freecycle group.
Barometers and thermometers should not be thrown in the trash. Barometers and some thermometers contain mercury and are considered household hazardous waste. Not sure if an item is household hazardous waste? You can go to nhswra.com/household-hazardous-waste, type an item in, and see how to dispose of it. This type of waste can be taken to HazWaste Central at 90 Sargent Dr. in New Haven, which is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon May through October. There are also hazardous waste satellite collections that occur in various towns, including Milford and Orange. The next ones are on Oct. 12 in Milford and a date to be determined in April 2025 in Orange.
Clothes and shoes can be recycled, but not in recycling bins. Instead, textiles can be donated to charity, taken to some retail stores that have recycling bins or bagged and put into one of the Bay State textile recycling containers in Orange at the town’s Transfer Station and Recycling Center, at the Public Works Department and High Plains Community Center.
Never put the following the following items in the recycling bin: garden hoses, sewing needles, bowling balls, food or food-soiled paper, propane tanks or cylinders, aerosol cans that aren’t empty, plastic bags or polystyrene. By taking a few extra steps, we can all play a role in reducing the contamination of and danger to people, property and the environment.