IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Winter 2018

BRENTWOOD BOROUGH RECYCLING Major Recycling Changes On The Horizon The recycling market is changing. Brentwood Borough requests the aid of every household in meeting forthcoming stringent new requirements. For the last forty years, Americans have been encouraged to maximize the number of items that they place into the recycling bin so as to halt the growth of hazardous landfills. But, despite dramatic increases in the recycling rate, our nation’s infrastructure for processing these goods remains minimal. The majority of recyclable goods have long been exported to China. However, in 2017, this country banned the import of many plastic wastes. While, for the moment, recyclables are instead being directed to Thailand and Vietnam, facilities in these countries are rapidly approaching capacity. Why should political and economic decisions in faraway lands matter to our residents? Officials in these countries have started to reject shipments that are comprised of more than 0.5% of non-recyclable materials. If just one out of every 200 items that our Items that are currently recyclable and will remain recyclable in 2019: Items that are currently recyclable that WILL NOT be recyclable in 2019: Commonly recycled items that have NEVER been recyclable Items that can only be recycled by specialized vendors and CANNOT be placed at the curb: 44 BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL residents place in the recycling bin fails to meet the criteria, then the load will be sent back to America, where good intentions will be unceremoniously dumped in the landfill. As you can imagine, there are enormous costs associated with hauling a product halfway around the world only to be unable to unload it at its intended destination. Consequently, municipal waste vendors are planning to pass this expense on to the customers. Beginning in 2020, the Borough will be fined $150 for each container of waste that is deemed to contain more than the permitted amount of non-recyclable materials. For a community of our size, the annual penalty could amount to a staggering $75,000, which could only be recovered through an increase in the per-household billing rate. Old recycling habits die hard. But our community has one year to make simple, money-saving changes. By adhering to the chart below, you can concurrently protect our planet and our municipal budget. aluminum cans, aluminum foil, steel and tin food cans, corrugated cardboard, office paper, magazines, newspapers, paperboard (such as cereal boxes), poly-coated paperboard (such as paper milk cartons), #1 plastics (such as water, juice, salad dressing, and household cleaner containers), #2 plastics (such milk, laundry detergent, and shampoo containers). Prior to disposal, please be certain to remove lids and to rinse the container so that it is free of any food or chemical waste. If the item is not conspicuously labeled with a or , do not place in the recycling bin. ALL types of glass, #3 plastics (such as kitchen plastic wrap, plumbing products, most children’s toys, and the exterior packaging on most consumer goods), #4 plastics (such as grocery bags, squeezable food containers, and garment bags), #5 plastics (such as yogurt containers, butter containers, snack food bags, plastic cups, and straws), #6 plastics (such as egg cartons, plastic utensils, and most takeout food containers), #7 plastics (such as reusable water bottles, CD cases, and electrical components) pizza boxes, paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, foam packaging, window glass, heat-resistant glass (e.g. Pyrex), ceramics batteries, light bulbs, electronics, small kitchen appliances, air conditioners, tires

IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Winter 2018 | Page 46