Mark August Date for Dumping Household Items

Resident scan get rid of all sorts of recyclable and hazardous itesm on Aug. 6, as the Somerset County Recycling Center hosts its monthly First Saturday of the Month Recycling Drop-off and a Household Hazardous Waste drop-off in Franklin.

The recycling center, at 40 Polhemus Lane in Bridgewater, will accept tires, textiles towels and typewriters from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 6 for the regular monthly drop-off. As part of the program, residents can drop off tires, scrap metal, antifreeze and usual curbside materials, including chipboard items and plastic bottles and containers, marked #1 through #7.  Chipboard includes gift, shoe, shirt and all retail boxes, as well as cereal, cookie, pasta, cake and cracker boxes, without the plastic liners.  Also poster board and backing from writing pads are accepted.

Residents also have the option of disposing of clean dry textiles throughout the year by bringing textiles to scheduled Saturday Drop-off events.  Textiles include drapes, curtains, sheets, towels, belts, handbags, shoes (pairs), clean cloth and small stuffed animals. Textiles will only be accepted in a plastic bag.

Additionally, residents can drop off consumer electronics (e-waste).  E-waste includes computers (CPUs), servers, monitors, terminals/CRTs, televisions, printers, fax machines, copiers, computer/laptop peripherals, telecommunication equipment (telephones, cellular phones, telephone mainframes), keyboards, mice, cables, wiring, circuit boards, modems,  power supplies, laptops, docking stations, audio visual equipment, typewriters, VCRs, mainframe equipment and controllers, camcorders,  CDs, DVDs, computer disks, diskettes,  videotapes, cassette tapes, and rechargeable and button-cell batteries.  Residents should individually bag each battery or tape each terminal to avoid short-circuiting of batteries.

In addition to First Saturday of the Month events, residents can drop off electronics at Newtech Recycling Inc., located at 600A Apgar Drive, Somerset 08873, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Both drop-off opportunities are free.  For more information about Newtech Recycling Inc. contact them at (732) 564-3110 or www.newtechrecycling.com.

Also, residents may bring up to eight tires, with or without rims, to First Saturday of the Month drop-off events.

No household hazardous waste will be accepted at the First Saturday of the Month drop-off event—but on Aug. 6, such items can be taken to the Franklin Township Sewerage Authority, located at 70 Commerce Drive, Somerset.

Household hazardous waste includes banned or outdated pesticides, antifreeze, transmission fluids, brake fluids, wet-cell car batteries, motor oil (2-gallon maximum) fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent light bulbs, ammonia-based cleaners, gasoline, kerosene, mercury switches, mercury, oil-based paints, pool chemicals, propane tanks and rechargeable and button-cell batteries.

No tires, electronics, infectious waste, gas cylinders, smoke detectors, air conditioners or dehumidifiers will be accepted at the Household Hazardous Waste drop-off.

Residents wishing to help the needy during these difficult economic times also can bring canned goods and non-perishable food donations.  Items will be delivered to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County.  Perishables and foods in glass containers are not accepted by food banks.

For a complete listing of recyclable items, recycling events and much more, visit www.co.somerset.nj.us/recycle.html or call the Somerset County Recycling Center at
(732) 469-3363.

No registration is necessary, but proof of residency is required.  The program is free to county residents. 

Future Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off days will be held on Sept. 17 in Branchburg and Oct. 22 in Hillsborough.

The June Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off event drew 516 county residents. Approximately 22,090 pounds of hazardous materials were brought in for proper disposal, which included 100 car and wet-cell batteries, 275 gallons of used motor oil, 110 gallons of antifreeze and 36 propane tanks.