Health & Fitness
Ridgefield Recycling Center Moves to Single Stream
Single stream is in: Residents no longer need to sort recyclables at the Ridgefield Recycling Center.
Recycling just got easier here in Ridgefield.
Until Monday, Ridgefield businesses and residents using the had to sort their recyclable items into multiple bins. Now, all recyclable materials -newspapers, magazines, office paper, phone books, cardboard and junk mail, aseptic containers, glass, aluminum and tin, and plastics # 1 through 7- can be dumped into a single container. Initially, separate containers will still also be available for those who are reluctant to break the sorting habit. Over time these will be phased out.
“As we all strive to create a cleaner environment, single stream recycling is an easier, quicker way to achieve that goal, encouraging more people to increase their recycling. One bin does it all,” said First Selectman Marconi at a press conference on July 11, 2011.
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“With single stream recycling, residents and businesses will no longer have to sort their recyclables,” said Scott Tenney, president of Hudson Baylor, the operator of the Recycling Center. “Single Stream makes recycling easier and more convenient and has proven in many areas across the country to increase the recycling rate between 20 to 30%.” (For more info, see www.hudsonbaylor.com.)
Diverting waste is the goal. Moving materials that would otherwise end up as solid waste (which is either shipped out of state or burned in a waste-to-energy plant within Connecticut) into recycled products is better for the planet and reduces waste disposal costs for the town.
Find out what's happening in Ridgefieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Something else new: the Recycling Center will now be available as a recycling transfer station for trash haulers who provide curbside pick-up to Ridgefield residents, enabling single stream recycling for them as well. Previously, many haulers brought their recyclables to facilities outside of town. Residents may want to check with their haulers to confirm their use of single stream recycling.
You might still want to sort a little. Donations of deposit cans and bottles are still welcome in the ScoutsCAN bins outside the Recycling Center. (No glass, please!) Ridgefield boy scouts sort and bag these donations, with proceeds from the five cent redemptions benefiting Housatonic Habitat for Humanity.
