By Susan Wineland
Orange Recycling Committee
Orange Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day will now be on Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to noon behind High Plains Community Center at 525 Orange Center Rd. Keeping toxic chemicals out of landfills, roadsides and waterways by disposing of hazardous waste is crucial for protecting the environment and the health of every living creature. For more information and to pre-register, the HazWaste website is rwater.com/hazwaste/. If you have specific questions about what you can or cannot bring, HazWaste Central may be addressed by emailing ask.hazwaste@rwater.com or calling 203-401-2712.
Shredding Day, along with other events at High Plains, is coming up on Saturday, April 27.
Bring confidential personal documents, including tax papers, bank statements, medical records and other sensitive papers for secure on-site shredding. This free service is generously funded by the Rotary Club of Orange. Residents may show their appreciation by donating to the Orange Rotary Club Scholarship Fund. Rotarians will be on hand to collect donations.
Recycle old mattresses and box springs through the services of the Mattress Recycling Council’s “Bye Bye Mattress” team. Residents can choose to bring their items to the event or opt for the convenient pickup service offered by volunteers from the Orange Lions Club (call Ken or Marianne at 203-795-3906 to arrange pickup at $15 per mattress or box spring).
Securely dispose of electronic devices with a local firm that wipes hard drives clean and breaks down electronic devices for their scrap metal value while ensuring landfill disposal of the remaining waste. Old cell phones, i-pads, laptops and personal computer hard drives will be accepted with a suggested price of $5 to $20 per item.
The Orange Community Women will be collecting clothing and household goods, including used clothing, shoes, accessories, blankets, curtains, sheets, towels, stuffed animals, housewares, dishes, small appliances, home decor, toys, sporting goods, DVDs, CDs, tapes and knick-knacks. They will be under the pavilion.
Buy Nothing Orange will be having a swap for items, also under the pavilion. Bring any household items you wish to give away and take something that others have brought for ultimate recycling. They will also be collecting non-perishable food items for the Orange Food Bank and Orange Food2Kids.
Prescription drugs will be collected by Orange police and members of the Bethany Orange Woodbridge Drug and Alcohol Action Committee. Bring unused and/or expired medications to the front of High Plains Community Center for a secure take back event.
Bay State Textile recycling bins are located at the transfer station near Goodwill, at High Plains next to the pavilion and at the entrance area to the Public Works Department at 308 Lambert Rd. Clean and dry clothing, linens, shoes, and more are accepted. Go to baystatetextiles.com/ for more information and to see what can and cannot be donated.
Green bin food composting is also available at the transfer station. This is a great opportunity to not only significantly cut down on the weight and the methane emitted from food in a landfill, but also reduce the costs and the carbon emissions it takes to haul and process those materials.
There is also the plastic bag shed at the transfer station that only accepts thin, stretchy plastic bags, such as packaging film around vegetables, zip-lock type bags, bread and muffin bags, store produce bags, dry cleaning bags and plastic newspaper wrapping. Not acceptable are mulch or fertilizer bags, candy or snack bags, foil lined bags, dog food/bird food bags or any that have webbing or weaving. Black plastic bags of any kind are not recyclable or accepted.
In order to recycle plastic bags effectively so that they can be recycled, all materials should be clean and dry. Don’t just give them a quick rinse – if your bags are not completely clean of food or other residue, they will contaminate the entire batch. Many local stores such as The Home Depot, Target, Lowes and Walmart, and many grocery stores, have plastic bag collection bins. Plastic bags cannot go in the blue recycling bins because it can be hard, if not impossible, to process, as they often get caught in the center’s machinery. Bubble envelopes can be reused. Just make sure that you have crossed out all markings and labels to ensure that it gets to the right destination. Or you can separate the bubble wrap from the outer wrapping or recycle it in a large box store plastic bag recycling bin.
For more information about recycling, visit orangerecycles.com or facebook.com/ORCinCT.
Susan Wineland is a member of the Orange Recycling Committee.