Recycling should be on your radar because of toxins in our environment leaching from landfills and because reusing, instead of wasting products, could reduce the reduction of our natural resources. Intelligent recycling could (and is happening in the case of computers) produce new businesses and/or provide raw materials for existing businesses—like reusing paper and glass. During World War II Americans knew how to recycle almost everything for the war effort--now we need to relearn that expertise and reinvigorate ourselves for the war on anthropogenic Global Warming.

Recycling in Rochester

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(Photo: Recycling your recyclables the Monroe County Recycling Center)

How to Recycle that old computer.

Recycling in the Rochester-area news:

Resources for Recycling

  Questions? Problems? Compliments? Call Recycling hotline: Monroe County 716-340-2438 - Also, Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive by calling one of the following toll-free numbers: 800-353-0809 or 888-576-8688.  To schedule a tour of the facility call 585-760-7610 ext. 7008. Monroe County uses the Mill Seat Landfill, 303 Brew Road, Bergen, New York 14416 phone: 585-394-3000.

Donations, especially Rochester-area donations, are a great way to recycle. Instead of throwing out those old clothes, furniture or appliances, why not donate them to a local worthy cause. Check out Friends Helping Friends - "We need the donations of furniture, household items, clothing, old appliances and just about anything that's NOT GARBAGE. We can use it or find someone else who can use it. We will pick up from your home and will do clear outs." --from Friends Helping Friends

Get some Recycling tips from Monroe County: Environmental Services (DES)   Residents can improve the quality of our environment by putting into practice "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" and by participating in these Monroe County Solid Waste Management programs: Grasscycling - Yard waste is banned from Monroe County landfills. Leave grass clippings on the lawn after each mowing. This helps fertilize your lawn and reduces the yard waste going into our landfills. Composting - Turning organic waste into a nutrient-rich soil supplement for your garden. The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County (585-461-1000) has detailed information on this and other environmental topics. - Household Hazardous Waste - Dispose of your Household Hazardous Waste materials properly and free of charge. Call (585) 760-7600 option #3 for details. - Junk Mail Reduction - Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive by calling the following toll-free number: 800-353-0809. - Volunteering - Help keep our community clean: Also: Information on the recycling of electronics: Go to the source authority on recycling in Monroe County for this information: Monroe County Environmental Services, Electronic Recycling: What You Should Know—So Someone Doesn’t Know Too Much About You! - What you Should Know About Electronics Disposal and the Environment - Where can you Dispose of/Recycle Electronics in a Secure and Environmentally-Safe Way? - Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program & Printer Cartridge Recycling. HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW) COLLECTION PROGRAM - Monroe County DES --Find out when, how, where, and what kinds of hazardous waste you can get rid of safely and environmentally sound. Dates and locations for collections are here: http://www.co.monroe.ny.us/aboutmc/calendar.cfm?

   Reduce, Reuse, Recycle "Monroe County has expanded its list of items that can be put in blue boxes for curbside recycling. The list now also includes paper boxes, such as cereal, cracker and tissue boxes, clean pizza boxes that have been flattened, unwanted mail, advertisements and brochures, home office paper, files and shredded paper, all kinds of envelopes, paperback and hardcover books, school papers, gift wrap and tubes from paper towels and from toilet paper.. --some of the items on the expanded list are listed on at the end of the blue pages of the new telephone book." --Democrat & Chronicle: Monroe expanding its recycling program     Read: How and What to Recycle in Monroe County -The following containers, paper materials and license plates (defaced) should be placed in your recycling box and taken to the curb before 6:30 a.m. on your regular trash collection day.  

Western Finger Lakes Authority Mailing Address - Western Finger Lakes Solid Waste Management Authority 9 Pearl Street, P. O. Box 36 Lyons, NY 14489 -Phone (315)946-7650 FAX (315)946-7657 1-800-724-3867 -Email mtorelli@co.wayne.ny.us

Want to know what you can and cannot put in the Monroe County Curbside Recycling Program? Residential Recycling http://www.monroecounty.gov/des-residentialrecycling.php  and check out the document: Material the curbside Recycling Program Does Not Include: http://www.monroecounty.gov/File/Non-Blue%20Box%20Program%20Materials.pdf

News about Trash and Recycling is always important, especially when it's what the EPA is doing about these issues: Environmental Protection Agency - Press Releases - Trash and Recycling

RochesterNYReUseIt : Rochester NY ReUseIt!!"ALL items must be 100% FREE. Rochester ReUseIt serves Rochester, NY and the surrounding areas (up to 50 miles.) To find the ReUseIt list closest to you, visit www.reuseitnetwork.org  ."

 Donations, especially Rochester-area donations, are a great way to recycle. Instead of throwing out those old clothes, furniture or appliances, why not donate them to a local worthy cause. Check out Friends Helping Friends - "We need the donations of furniture, household items, clothing, old appliances and just about anything that's NOT GARBAGE. We can use it or find someone else who can use it. We will pick up from your home and will do clear outs."  -- from Friends Helping Friends

In the News: Democrat & Chronicle: County has blue box woes  Dutiful trash recyclers still need a how-to - Although 52 percent of the county’s solid waste gets recycled — well above New York’s statutory goal of 40 percent — there is still much to be learned about what can be recycled (not soccer balls) and how it should be put out at curbside.  After the lecture, Regan and his wife started taking greater care when filling their two blue boxes. They also keep a separate box next to the computer for recycling waste paper.  ”It’s incredible how much stuff does not have to go into the garbage, if you take your time,” said Regan, who chairs the conservation committee for the Sierra Club, Rochester Region Group. ”The blue box is a good first step” toward a society that uses natural resources in a sustainable way, said Hugh P. Mitchell of Rochester, chair of the Sierra Club, Rochester Regional Group. The area club sponsored a daylong program on recycling last fall, about the same time the county handed out 80,000 recycling-education fliers to residents and kicked off a TV ad campaign. (April 5, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle

•   What to do with that old computer? Here are some links for properly disposing of that old computer, which is very toxic and shouldn't go into the ground Computer Take Back Campaign  - eCycling - EPA - TechSoup - Recycled Hardware: Ten Tips for Donating a Computer - TechSoup.org - Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR) Program - Electronics Recycling

  • Where to donate that old computer.  One of my favorite long-time shows Sound Bytes, which was my education about computer and the Internet for years and years, has a list of places you can donate that old computer: Donate! - Sound Bytes

  • Recycle your computer for a worthy cause: Computers for Humanity Flower City Habitat for Humanity and the Micrecycle Computer Recycling for Education Program have partnered to help close the Digital Divide by putting a computer into every Habitat for Humanity home in Rochester, NY. " A Mouse in Every House" Each Habitat homeowner will receive a quality computer refurbished by the Micrecycle computer-recycling program, Internet access provided by Netsville, helpdesk and hardware support provided by the CommuniTech and The Academy for Career Development HelpTech programs. Additionally, free training will be available to the one hundred and twenty one Habitat for Humanity homeowners through the network of 27 Cyberlink Community Technology Centers located in the Rochester area. To make this project a success, we are depended upon individuals, groups and companies like yours to donate the computers, internal computer hardware, monitors and peripherals, or cash to purchase the items listed below that will be used to create the systems that will be delivered to the Habitat

  • What to do with those old computers? Recycling Old Computers  The Problem: The National Safety Council estimates that over 315 million computers will become obsolete by the year 2004 – and this may be low since reliable numbers were not available for the number of computers manufactured between 1980 and 1992. --EPA Region 2

  • Don't throw that old computer and paraphernalia in the garbage: The Home Computer Program recycles donated computers. These recycled computers go to urban students. So far, over 1,000 students, many from Josh Lofton High School (Rochester, NY) have received computers.

  • Ready to get serious about Recycling? Check this out: Yahoo! Groups : freecyclerochesterny Rochester (NY) Freecycle Network -Need an item? Need to get rid of an item? Rochester Freecycle can help! -Whether you're looking to discard or acquire an item, you've come to the right place.

           Remember to Recycle the big things too: Volunteers of America of WNY Volunteers of American will pick up gently used appliances, furniture, clothing, and other household items. (VOA reserves the right to refuse specific items.) FOR FREE in Monroe County.  Call 647-1150 to schedule your free pick up. Items must be in usable condition (except clothing which is recycled.  VOA also accepts car, boat, and RV donations.

          You know, you should RECYCLE: Find all the areas around Rochester, New York to Reuse and Recycle EIA Environment: Consumer Education Initiative (CEI) - Reuse And Recycle Programs for New York --from EIA Environment: Consumer Education Initiative (CEI) - The EIA Consumer Education Initiative or "CEI" is a web-based information resource that provides consumers and others with information on recycling and reuse opportunities for used electronics. Participating manufacturers include an industry statement in a variety of media, including owner's manuals, company web sites, and product literature, directing consumers to the CEI web page where consumers can find recycling and reuse opportunities for used electronics in their area.

        New York State Association for Reduction Reuse and Recycling NYSAR3 is about you, the people of New York State interested in learning about, supporting and promoting recycling in New York State. This section is about how you can be involved. If you are not a member the first thing that you can do is join. NYSAR3 membership is inexpensive and affordable to all. By joining you will receive a variety of benefits including the Network, NYSAR3's newsletter; access to the NYSAR3 listserve; discounts at NYSAR3 and Federation Conferences; automatic membership in the National Recycling Coalition and if you represent a business you will get a free listing on the NYSAR3 businesses page. NYSAR3 encourages you to patronize our sponsors and members whenever possible.

       Good Recycling: Imagine It....Recycling Printer Cartridges "Imagine it… Fundraising through Recycling began in 2002 receiving an overwhelming heartwarming response in our community. Through the participation of over 1500 companies, more than $500,000.00 has been donated to local charities and schools."

Recycling Redux

by Frank J. Regan

(December 2007)

Sometimes the greatest innovations have already been done. Recycling, extracting our junk into resources is probably one of the greatest hopes for curbing our environmental problems. No more landfills, no more toxins leaching into our ground and water, no more exporting toxic materials to the developing countries, no more waste--period.

Imagine taking everything we potentially throw away—steel, iron, paper, cardboard, computers, batteries, appliances, even house—and reusing everything. I mean everything, so that nothing gets wasted. Wouldn’t we be for the first time a responsible and thrifty society? Not really. It’s not such a wild new idea.

If you lived through World War II, or watched The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick (2007) you know that massive recycling has been done before in the United States. You know that everyone, especially kids, will pitch in and learn how to extract and prepare everything not essential for the recycling project. You already know that these extracted items can be put in a place where the recyclers can get at them, where the recyclers can take them to industry to reuse them. Everything gets reused, nothing goes into the ground, less natural resources need to be ripped from our environment—sounds like an impossible dream, except that it’s already been done.

We can do it again if the public understands the importance and critical need for this to happen. When not only government, but industry remembers how to do this massive recycling, turning junk into new resources and products, our economy can thrive. Once galvanized recycling on the scale accomplished back in World War Two can be accomplished. 

 

Ready to get serious about Recycling? Check this out: Yahoo! Groups : freecyclerochesterny Rochester (NY) Freecycle Network -Need an item? Need to get rid of an item? Rochester Freecycle can help! -Whether you're looking to discard or acquire an item, you've come to the right place.

  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle "Monroe County has expanded its list of items that can be put in blue boxes for curbside recycling. --some of the items on the expanded list are listed on at the end of the blue pages of the new telephone book." --Democrat & Chronicle: Monroe expanding its recycling program

      Bigger, Better Bottle Bill  Over the past 20 years, the bottle bill has saved New Yorkers more than $300 million a year and diverted more than 5.2 million tons from the waste stream.  The bigger, better bottle bill would  • require the beverage industry to return all unclaimed deposits to the state to fund municipal recycling and waste prevention programs.  • expand New York's Bottle Bill to include deposits on non-carbonated beverages, such as bottled water, iced tea, juice and sports drinks; and create new jobs in the recycling and retail industries -- from New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG)  Others ways to help this bill: BiggerBetterBottleBill; Bills, Why NY needs a BBBB, Environmentalists, bottlers wonder: Whose nickel is it? - ithacajournal.com

   Scroll below for more information on Recycling in the Rochester Area: (Please note, links in the frame below open in a new page.)

RecycleinME is a marketplace for scrap metal, non metal scrap, plastic scrap, rubber scrap and paper scrap. Here you will find scrap metal, scrap metal prices, scrap metal suppliers, , scrap metal buyers, scrap metal offer to buy and sell along with other various categories of scrap. Register Now and start receiving business leads.

Recycling In The News (Please note, links in the frame below open in a new page.)

Recycling Resources

•  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Find out the latest recycling tips and locations of recycling drop-off stations. Get instructions for recycling in your home and download a business recycling guide that will assist your company in implementing a successful recycling program. Order a Chet the Cheetah calendar so your kids have fun while learning about recycling.
•  More on Recycling -- How to "Buy Recycled -- and Save," along with other practical tips for concerned citizens who want to help. --from Environmental Defense Fund.
•  License Plate Recycling - Lists of where you can bring your old Liberty plates to be recycled.-- from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
•  Division of Solid & Hazardous Materials Waste Reduction & Recycling Program Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Pamphlets Informational Material Links and Order Form --from the NYS Department of Conservation: NYSDEC 50 Wolf Road - Room 212, Albany, New York 12233-7253
•  MAT-EX ONLINE Western New York Materials Exchange Managed by the GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee Mat-Ex: Western New York Materials Exchange is a unique opportunity for businesses to exchange unwanted/unusable products that would otherwise be discarded, and/or locate free/inexpensive materials that can be used in daily business operations.  Currently, Mat-Ex does not list hazardous materials. Mat-Ex involves over 20,000 businesses in the fourteen county region of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming, Erie, Ontario, Allegany, Steuben, Chautauqua, Monroe, Seneca, Niagara and the Western Finger Lakes region.
•  America Recycles Day Mission: To hold an annual national awareness event to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and buying recycled Goal: To increase the purchase of recycled-content products and recycling throughout America.
•  NERC Northeast Recycling Council: NERC was established in 1987 by the Eastern Regional Conference of the Council of State Governments. NERC's mission is to ensure the long-term viability of recycling in the Northeast while maximizing its full environmental and economic benefits.
•  Recycling is easy if you can locate a current place to recycle your materials. from Earth's 911 
•  The Alliance for Environmental Innovation: 'Working cooperatively with companies to improve their environmental performance while yielding substantial business benefits." Want to do something about all those Catalogs? This site has reports on environmentally preferable paper practices in key industries.  Also, they have ways to reduce the environmental impact of company's offices.
•  How's New York State managing it's recycling efforts?  How about a rank of 40 out of our 50 states? Check here: Municipal Waste Management Report, 1998
•  The GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee:  One of GLOW’s primary goals, in accordance with the State Plan, is to develop programs that effectively reduce, reuse, or recycle as much of the material as possible that ends up in the waste stream. In order to reach the 40% goal set by the state for reduction, reuse, and recycling, GLOW works with counties, communities, waste haulers, businesses and institutions in the collection and reporting of recyclables data.
•  GRRN Home The GRASSROOTS RECYCLING NETWORK is a North American network of recycling and community-based activists who advocate policies and practices to achieve zero waste, to end corporate welfare for waste, and to create sustainable jobs from discards. We aim to reverse unsustainable practices and policies by building effective coalitions and partnerships for Zero Waste policies based on government and corporate accountability for waste. The GrassRoots Recycling Network was founded in 1995, inspired by a challenge to develop clear, simple messages and take them to the American public. The initial effort was launched by leaders from the Sierra Club Solid Waste Committee, the California Resource Recovery Association, and the Washington DC-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
•  New York State Association for Reduction Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3)
•  Earth 911 - Recycling, Beach Water Quality and Environmental Information It is the mission of Earth’s 911 to empower the public with community-specific resources to improve their quality of life. While sustainable prevention programs are by far the best way to protect our nation’s environment, the costs associated with many of these programs can be astronomical. That is why the use of this Public and Private Sector Partnership is so important in effectuating prevention ideals. Through the Partnership, economies of scale and scope are achieved, promoting this public service across the nation and centralizing environmental resources into one user-friendly network.
•  EPA: OSWER: Innovations Initiative OSWER Innovation Initiative The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) Assistant Administrator Marianne Horinko in December 2001 initiated a series of innovative pilots to test new ideas and strategies for environmental and public health protection. Ultimately the goal is to make OSWER programs more efficient, effective, innovative, and user-friendly. A small amount of money is set aside to fund creative proposals submitted by OSWER Headquarters and regional EPA employees. EPA employees are encouraged to talk to States, Tribes, local governments, and external stakeholders about proposal ideas and partner on a project. The creative projects test approaches to waste minimization, energy recovery, recycling, and land revitalization that may be replicated across various sectors, industries, communities, and regions. We hope these pilots will pave the way for programmatic and policy recommendations by demonstrating the environmental and economic benefits of creative, innovative approaches to the difficult environmental challenges we face today.
•  Recycle Empties At RecycleInkjets we make it easy for you to EARN FREE STUFF for yourself, your school, university, church, temple, or non-profit organization. So why wait? Sign up and start recycling today!
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  Business Junk Mail Reduction Project Dealing with unwanted mail wastes time and money for businesses! This website contains detailed information and tips that will help you reduce this unwanted mail.

•  Office Paper Reduction Campaign Resources A successful campaign will include office paper reduction and reuse as well as collection of recovered paper and purchasing of recycled-content paper. We suggest emphasizing paper reduction and reuse in your campaign. Paper that is never used, or used twice instead of once, adds up to big savings for offices and the environment. We've got lots of ideas to help you.

•  Cutting Paper: This site is about practical information on how to reduce the amount of office page you use. 

•  Want to recycle your steel cans? Check out: http://www.steelcans.com.au

•  Want to recycle your milk cartons? Check out: http://www.planetark.org/cartons/carton.html

•  Recycle Mailing List Is an archive provided by EnviroLink where you can subscribe to all kinds of recycling mailing list. Items like: computers, asphalt, ceramics, food wastes, newspaper, glass, and just about anything you can think of can be dealt with in an environmentally responsible way.

•  Operation: Landfill Elimination Here's a long list of how to reuse your trash, reduce it, sell it, and donate it. There's thirty-three pages of how to take care of all those things that are accumulating around the house, in the car, etc.

•  Environmental Organization WebDirectory - Recycling  Trying to find out how to recycle a difficult item.  Here is probably the Internet's most comprehensive list of sites that will help.

•  Regional Recycling Center   If you live in any of these counties--Webster County,Humboldt County, Calhoun County, Wright County-- go to this site to find exactly the information you need to recycle. Some good information here on how to get particular items ready for recycling.

•  European Recycling Search

•  Recycler's World - Main Menu - http://www.recycle.net/ (scrap metal waste disposal) "Recycler's World was established as a world wide trading site for information related to secondary or recyclable commodities, by-products, used & surplus items or materials."

•  Unsafe Recycling Not only is this site a major resource for recycling, they also take action to see that governments do their best to help consumers recycle.

•  eCycling - EPA As we become more dependent on electronic products to make life more convenient, the stockpile of used, obsolete products grows. The National Safety Council1 projects that nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years and mobile phones will be discarded at a rate of 130 million per year by 2005. eCycling is reusing or recycling of these consumer electronics.

•  EIA Environment: Consumer Education Initiative (CEI) homepage The Consumer Education Initiative (CEI) is a program developed by the Environmental Issues Council of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). Its purpose is to inform consumers about recycling and reuse opportunities for used electronics.

•   Freecycle - Changing the world, one gift at a time. The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by clicking on the region on the right. It will generate an automatic e-mail which, when sent, will sign you up for your local group and send you a response with instructions on how it works. Or, go directly to the Web site for your local group by clicking on your community's link on the left. Can't find a group near you? You might want to consider starting one (click on "Start a Group" for instructions). Have fun!

•  Welcome to Call2Recycle Through our national program, Call2Recycle™, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) can help you recycle your old cell phones and used portable rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. RBRC recycles the following battery chemistries: Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb).