The Orange Recycling Committee will host a paper shredding and mattress recycling event Saturday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at the town’s High Plains Community Center at 525 Orange Center Rd. Both services will be provided free of charge to residents of Orange.
The secure, on-site paper shredding service will once again be handled by town resident Joe Johnston’s company, Affordable Solutions. Residents may bring bags or boxes filled with documents for shredding, and volunteers from the Orange Recycling Committee will deposit them into the shredding truck. This service is funded by the Rotary Club of Orange. Residents may show their appreciation by donating to the Orange Rotary Scholarship Fund. Rotarians will be on hand to collect donations.
Residents are encouraged to bring tax papers, bills, receipts, statements, and documents that contain personal, financial and/or medical information. There’s no need to remove staples or elastic bands, but clips should be removed for reuse. They should not bring paper that is already shredded, newspapers, notebooks, folders, or other papers that can go in regular residential recycling bins.
For the second year, residents may also bring mattresses and box springs for recycling. This free service is made possible through a partnership with the Mattress Recycling Council’s Bye Bye Mattress Program. Dry mattresses of all sizes and box springs will be accepted. However, mattresses from futons/sofa beds or waterbeds; mattresses infested with bed bugs; wet, damaged or excessively soiled mattresses; and sleeping bag or mattress pads/toppers are not part of the program.
For residents who need assistance getting mattresses and box springs to the event, members of the Orange Lions Club will pick these items up from residences, given they are outside and dry or in a garage for easy access. Volunteers will not enter homes. Those interested in this pickup service should contact Ken Lenz at 203-795-3906. The fee for pick-up is $10 per mattress or box spring; payment is by cash or check to Orange Lions Charities, and all proceeds are considered charitable donations.
“We are thrilled to once again partner with the Rotary Club of Orange and The Orange Lions Club to offer these important environmental services to residents,” said Mitch Goldblatt, chair of the Orange Recycling Committee. “Purging homes of these items and keeping them out of landfills helps our environment as well as tax dollars. This is a fun event that gives volunteers and residents an opportunity to work together for a cleaner and more sustainable planet.”
For the sixth time, the shredding event will help residents dispose of thousands of pounds of sensitive financial and medical papers in a secure, environmentally-responsible way. Adding mattress and box spring recycling last year proved a success, so it’s expected that more residents will avail themselves of the opportunity this year.
For more information, visit orange-ct.gov/180/Recycling or the Facebook page at facebook.com/ORCinCT/.