Long Beach Rolling Out New Recycling Program

LONG BEACH, NY — Starting Jan. 1, the City of Long Beach will be changing the way it handles recycling. Collection days will change, and residents will now have to separate paper goods from other recyclables.

According to the city, the change is coming due to changes in its vendor agreement and global market conditions. The city will be switching to a two-stream recycling system, meaning that paper goods will have to be separated from metal, glass and plastic. Residents will also have to be more conscientious about the materials they recycle.

The city said it is working on securing more recycling pails to help residents separate their goods more easily. Clean paper and cardboard will go in one bin, and clean metals, glass and plastics will go in the other. Residents can only recycle plastics marked 1 or 2. The city doesn't recycle plastics marked 3 to 7.

Residents should also not try to recycle dirty paper (such as food containers), plastic bags, aerosol cans or broken glass.

The recycling pickup schedule will also change. Instead of recycling being picked up across the city on Wednesday, pickup days will change depending on where you live. The new schedule is below.

For more information on the city's new recycling program, visit the Sanitation Department's website.