November 12, 2021| Community, Environment
By: Holly Odgers
Recycling is a simple task that helps protect the environment, conserve natural resources. and keep our communities clean and vibrant. We all know we can put paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and plastic at the curb, but many other items can be recycled that you may not even realize. This November 15, on America Recycles Day, let's all be more mindful of what we consume, take a moment to recycle something new, and make sure we know the details of what we can and can't recycle at the curb and at our local recycling centers. With just a little effort, we can all do our part to reduce the pollution caused by waste and its negative impact on our lakes, rivers, and natural environments.
Whether you're at home, on the go, in the office, or at school, there are many opportunities to go green by Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling. Find out more about how you can reduce waste HERE.
Recycling something as small as a contact lens can make a big difference. Bausch + Lomb and TerraCycle joined together to create the ONE by ONE Lens Recycling Program. There's even a dropoff location right in Lake Hopatcong!
If you have old or broken crayons, send them to Crazy Crayons. The National Crayon Recycle Program and Crazy Crayons work together to collect crayons from around the country. They provide simple instructions for donations and resources to hold your own crayon collection drive, which can be turned into a school fundraiser! The donated crayons are melted down to create new 100% recycled crayons that you can purchase in support of crayon recycling and recycling education.
It takes centuries for a piece of plastic to fully decompose, and toothbrushes are no exception. So, TerraCycle and Colgate have partnered to create a national recycling program for all brands of used or empty oral care products and packaging. To participate in the Colgate Oral Care Free Recycling Program, simply enroll on the website and download a free shipping label to ship your used or empty toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothpaste cartons, toothbrush outer packaging, and floss containers to TerraCycle. Brush. Rinse. Recycle.
Best Buy has a large recycling program, allowing up to three items per household per day to be recycled for free. Items accepted include TVs, electronics, phones, cameras, gadgets, movies, music, video games, gadgets, and more!
Did you know the plastic used in each printer cartridge takes more than 10 centuries (that's 1000 years!) to decompose? You can recycle your empty ink and toner cartridges, and even get paid for them at Recycleplace.org. Individuals can register for free, mail cartridges using a provided pre-paid UPS label, and then sit back and wait for your check in the mail! You can also bring your old cartridges to Staples for a $2 voucher you can use towards new ink.
For more recycling opportunities visit EARTH911s extensive recycling database, which includes more than 350 materials and 100,000+ listings.
Hopatcong Recycling Center
Veterans Way portion of Flora Avenue - Wednesday, 9 AM to noon and on Saturday from 8 AM to 4 PM
Jefferson Township Recycling Center
Intersection of Sparta Mountain Road and Weldon Road - Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority also has a very helpful YouTube Channel.
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