Westchester Collects 2.6M Pounds Of Hazardous Materials In 2019

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Nearly 40,000 Westchester County households delivered hazardous materials to the Household-Material Recovery Facility in Valhalla or to a Household Recycling Day event in 2019 — leading to the largest number of materials collected and recycled in years. The potentially hazardous materials, which amounted to almost 2.7 million pounds, included household chemicals, electronics and other special wastes requiring special handling.

More than 12,600 pounds of expired and unwanted medications were also safely disposed of at the recovery facility or at local police departments.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said the incredible numbers are due in large part to the expansion of the hours and availability of the facility, combined with the Household Recycling Day events that were held in Rye, Yonkers and Yorktown Heights.

"By providing a safe way for residents to dispose of hard-to-get-rid of wastes and recyclables, we are ensuring a greener future for all of Westchester County,” he said.

The county’s recycling and household hazardous waste collection programs are run by the Department of Environmental Facilities.

Residents looking to safely destroy confidential and personal documents were able to take advantage of the county’s paper shredding program. Documents collected generated almost 1.8 million pounds of shredded paper, which was recycled.

The Daniel P. Thomas Material Recovery Facility in Yonkers also processed more than 140 million pounds of recyclables collected by municipalities in 2019. Despite a worldwide recession that has hit the recyclables market hard over the past two years, the sale of recyclable materials generated revenue of nearly $3 million.

Residents looking to dispose of hard-to-get-rid-of household waste can schedule an appointment at the county’s Household Material Recovery Facility located at 15 Woods Road in Valhalla, which is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Appointments can be made by calling the Recycling HelpLine at 914-813-5425 or by visiting this website.

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