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Recycling Gets Bigger, Better, Easier in Greenwich

GREENWICH, Conn. — Separating plastics from aluminum will be a thing of a past in town when single-stream recycling begins Aug. 1. Greenwich hopes for more recycling and less trash by making it easier for residents to recycle more items.  

“It’s a win-win-win for residents, the town and also the environment,” said John McKee, superintendent of waste removal services for the town. “We’re going to take eight trucks off the road. … That’s 12,000 gallons of gasoline not being burned each year.”   

Single-stream recycling has increased in popularity in other towns throughout Fairfield County and the rest of the country. Greenwich estimates that recycling volume will increase four-fold for the average household of four. In other single-stream municipalities, such as Stamford, total waste has gone 80 percent recyclables and 20 percent trash, according to McKee.

Greenwich will discontinue blue bin and mixed paper curbside pickups when the program begins. Residents will have to coordinate with trash haulers for the weekly pickup. Just one bin will be devoted to recycling items, which will be picked up weekly by a trash hauler. Any large, clean bin with a lid can be used. Items that can now be recycling include:

• Newspaper and brown bags;

• Cardboard and paper board;

• Mixed paper and junk mail;

• Aluminum and tin cans;

• Glass bottles;

• Plastic bottles;

• Waxed milk and juice cartons;

• Plastic containers #1 through #7;

• Phone books;

• Empty aerosol cans; and

• Plastic bags.

Items that can’t be recycled include automotive parts, batteries, clothing, construction debris, ink jet cartridges, leaves, light bulbs or any contaminated items. However, residents with current year beach stickers or a Holly Hill Facility dump permit can drop some items such as air conditioners, automotive parts, batteries, clothing, electronics or light bulbs off at Holly Hill.

“We expect that what we’re going to have left is plastic wrappers, food, household hazardous waste and possibly biological things — that’s used tissues, used paper towels and food. … So that’s where the shift is going to occur,” said McKee.

What do you think about single-stream recycling beginning in Greenwich? Comment below or send responses to ahelhoski@thedailygreenwich.com

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