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- To recycle milk jugs, it helps if you wash and crush them and remove their caps before dropping them off in the appropriate bin or barrel at your transfer station or hauling them out to the curb for pick up, advises Ron Slater of the Sandy River Recycling Association.
- Crushing increases SRRA’s capacity to temporarily store them before baling and selling them. Washing does away with the sour milk smell while waiting to be baled. The caps are made of a different kind of plastic that is not recyclable. If included, they could ruin the bale, like a red sock in a wash load of white, says Slater.
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Cardboard
(OCC) |
- Corrugated Cardboard
- Brown paper bags
Boxes should be clean and flattened.
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Newspapers & Magazines
(ONP)
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- Non-yellowed newspaper
- Magazines
- Catalogues
- Telephone Books
Do not tie in bundles.
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High Grade Paper
(SOW) |
- Stationary and copy paper (white and colored)
- Envelopes (white and colored but no windows)
- Pamphlets and brochures
- Legal pads (no cardboard backing)
Do not tie in bundles.
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Mixed Household Paper
(M-P) |
- Junk mail (including windowed envelopes)
- Shoe and cereal boxes
- Potato bags
- Postcards, cards and books
- Paper towel and toilet paper tubes
- Six-pack containers
- File folders
Do not tie in bundles.
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Plastic |
- Narrow-necked containers with HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene) #2 stamped on the bottom.
The clear (natural) containers must be separated from the colored ones. White is considered colored. The containers must be rinsed, flattened and their caps removed.
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Glass |
Glass must be clean, separated by color and lids must be removed. Not acceptable: ceramic cups and plate, light bulbs, mirror and window glass, canning jars (no metal rings), drinking glasses, pyrex, safety glass.
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Tin Cans |
- Clean tin cans with labels removed and flattened
- Paint cans provided there is no liquid paint left
- Aerosol cans provided there is no product inside, the propellant is used up and the cap and nozzle are removed.
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Aluminum |
- Cans and foil must be separated, clean, and free of food.
- Includes used beverage cans, cat food cans, and any other non-magnetic cans.
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Electronic Waste |
- Computers and televisions and desktop printers contain toxic metals. A typical processor and monitor contain five to eight pounds of lead and heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury and arsenic. It is illegal to dispose of them as common household waste. Transfer stations are required by law to accept them from residents. Since the law was passed, Maine households have recycled nearly 20 million pounds of televisions and computer monitors.
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Fluorescent Light Bulbs |
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain toxic mercury. They are not to be put out in the trash; they are to be recycled at the select stores that sell them.
- Check with your transfer station for information about disposing regular tube-type bulbs.
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Household Hazardous Waste |
- Oil-based paints, pesticides, solvent based cleaners and other household hazardous materials can usually be disposed of at yearly regional pick ups organized by the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. If you want instant disposal, check out the Maine Environmental Depot in Lewiston at www.envdepot.com
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