Recycling tips to make Brighton greener

This page lists ways to recycle common household items in Brighton.

Monroe County’s “Blue Box” program

Monroe County’s “Blue Box” program can accept many items for recycling. They need to be placed in your recycling box for pick-up on your regular trash collection day.

Find out more about what Monroe County recycles by taking a tour of the Monroe County Recycling Center, 384 Lee Road in Greece. You’ll be surprised at all the helpful information they provide. The Center provides tours to community, scouting and school groups. Call 753-7646 to schedule.

How to recycle non-Blue Box items

As you just read on the Monroe County’s web site, not everything can be recycled under the “Blue Box” program. Below are a few suggestions that you may consider.

Our tips

Some of these tips and others have also been provided by Brighton residents on our Green Tips page. Please add some more!

Other tips/items

  • Donate, Recycle, Reuse
    An extensive list of items and recycling suggestions provided on the Rochester Environment website.

#5 Plastic containers

#5 plastic containers are not recycled in Monroe County. Recycline, a maker of environment-friendly personal care products, will accept your #5 containers, creating 100% recycled products from waste that usually goes directly into the trash.

Requirements:

  • Must be CLEAN plastic items with a #5 stamp on them
  • Must be free of other materials, such as paper, screws, other number plastics
  • Must be shipped using ground shipping (as opposed to air)
  • Shipments should weigh at least 5 pounds and no more than 50 pounds. Any package greater than 50 pounds must be pre-approved by Recycline. Packages should include your return address on the package and your name and e-mail address inside the package.
  • Learn more on the Preserve Gimme 5 web site.

Mail to:
Preserve Gimme 5
823 NYS Rte 13
Cortland, NY 13045
888-354-7296

 

Crayon recycling

The Crayon Recycling Program takes old, rejected, broken crayons and recycles them into fresh, new crayons, which are then available for purchase. Leave the wrappers on the crayons for easier sorting.

When you are ready to ship your used crayons, these tips can help to keep your costs down.

  • One large box is less costly than several small boxes.
  • Use sturdy boxes that closely fit the amount of contents (to avoid crushing or breaking box).
  • Small packages (less than 5 pounds) will cost less shipping via USPS.
  • Use UPS basic ground service for packages over 5 pounds and let them know that you are shipping to a business (lower rates). UPS: 1-800-742-5877
  • Learn more on the Crazy Crayons web site.

Mail crayons to:
Crayon Recycling Program
LAF Lines Ltd.
721 Village Road
Pelican Lake, WI 54463

 

Battery recycling

All non-rechargeable batteries contain heavy metals: mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel.

In landfills, heavy metals can leach slowly into soil, groundwater or surface water.
When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up as ash.

Dry-cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream.

Family-sized battery recycling:

Waste Management offers a small battery recycling kit that accepts alkaline, button and rechargeable batteries. The 4" x 6" x 2.5" box costs $16.95.

Large family or group battery recycling:

The Big Green Box for consumer use offers certified recycling for all lithium, alkaline, lead, mercury, nickel-cadmium, nickel metal-hydride, magnesium, silver, zinc and lead batteries. The 13"w x 13"l x 8.5"h box holds 40 pounds of batteries and costs $58.

 

Composting

The original, do-it-yourself green activity. Recycle your yard and kitchen wastes and create great organic material for your garden and lawn. You’ll keep 500-600 pounds of waste from going to the landfill each year! New composting bins are available that minimize odor and critter intruders, making composting easier than ever and possible in even small yards.

Resources to get you started:

 

Computer recycling

Goodwill and Dell have teamed up to provide locations to recycle all your old computer equipment, printers, monitors, etc. for free. Just take them to your local Goodwill store.

What you need to know:

  • This program is FREE. Any brand computer is eligible for donation.
  • You are responsible for removing data from your hard drive.
  • Neither Dell nor Goodwill takes responsibility for your data.
  • Donations may be tax deductible. Check with your tax advisor regarding eligibility and donation value.

Goodwill Henrietta
Jefferson Plaza
376 Jefferson Road
Rochester, NY 14623
427-7140

Goodwill Downtown
451 S. Clinton Ave.
Rochester, NY 14620
262-3330

 

Cork recycling

Save your wine and champagne corks—extend their life!

Yemm & Hart, a recycled building materials supply company, is collecting wine cork stoppers with the goal of converting them into a useful self-sustaining product. Their goal is to extend the useful life of this natural resource for decades and to raise awareness of the cork oak tree and its ecosystem.

Do not send plastic wine stoppers and other non-cork materials.

Mail to:
Wine Cork Recycling
Yemm & Hart Ltd
610 South Chamber Dr
Fredericktown, MO 63645

 

Plastic cap recycling

Plastic caps—those on water bottles, juice jugs, gallon milk jugs, etc.—are made from plastic not recycled in Monroe County. In addition, caps screwed onto plastic bottles can pose a safety hazard to recycle center workers. When a bottle is compressed by the weight of heavy recycling machinery, the cap can shoot off the bottle with tremendous force, like a bullet, and seriously injure someone.

There is an alternative. Aveda, a beauty supply company, recycles caps. Any plastic twist-on caps are accepted, such as:

  • Water bottle caps
  • Soda bottle caps
  • Laundry detergent bottle caps
  • Ketchup bottle caps
  • Shampoo/conditioner bottle caps    

DO NOT send:

  • Prescription bottle caps,
  • Metal caps and
  • Snap-fit plastic caps (like margarine and cottage cheese carton caps)

Mail caps to:
ACA Waste Services
40 Eads St.
West Babylon, NY 11704

 

Sneaker recycling

Give new life to those old, beat up sneakers!

Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns worn-out athletic shoes of any brand into Nike Grind, a material used in sport tracks, courts and playgrounds.

Please note:

  • Only athletic shoes such as running shoes, sneakers, etc.
  • No shoes containing metal
  • No cleats or dress shoes
  • No wet, muddy or damp shoes

Find the closest Nike Reuse-a-Shoe drop-off location. (Monroe County does not support this program anymore.)

 

Rigid foam packaging

To recycle the rigid foam packaging — made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) — that protects computer and electronic equipments, break them up tightly in a box to mail at one of the foam packaging recyclers in the U.S.

Details and locations on this page of the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers web site.

Recycling at the Brighton Farmers’ Market

During the Summer Market you can bring non-Blue Box items to be recycled.


Modified: 07/01/2010