Saturday, July 27, 2019

Can It Be Recycled, or Is It Garbage?

Since Thursday, the day recyclables are picked up in much of Hudson, Facebook has been abuzz with comments and complaints about rejected recyclables. The best and most thorough explanation of what this means and why this is happening now is provided by Alderman Rich Volo on his blog Fourth Ward Hudson: "Recycling in Hudson." It is recommended reading. 

My observation is that, since single stream recycling was introduced in Columbia County in 2012, people have been putting some surprising things out at the curb as recyclables with the expectation that DPW crews would cart them away, and amazingly they did. The current situation doesn't seem so much a change in policy as it is a new commitment to enforcing a policy that should have already existed.
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4 comments:

  1. So to be clear, what is allowed in the Blue Plastic Bags?

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    1. That's the garbage. I would say anything that fits in the bag, short of medical waste, prescription drugs, and hazardous materials. There are other methods for disposing of them.

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  2. The list of allowables is confusing ... paper newspapers OK, corrugated boxes OK ... paper tissues,napkins,towels ... not OK. It's all paper, why the distinction.

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    1. I'm not certain, but it seems to me that contamination is a big issue with recyclables, which is probably why used tissues, paper napkins, and paper towels are unacceptable.

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