Monroe County Executive Adam Bello Reminds Residents to ‘Recycle Right’ This Holiday Season

December 20th, 2024

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Visit monroecounty.gov/recycling for a complete list of recyclable items

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Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today is reminding residents to Recycle Right this holiday season by recycling at the curb and at the Monroe County/WM ecopark located at 10 Avion Dr. Rochester, NY 14624. While the ecopark will be closed on Wednesday December 25th and Wednesday January 1st, it will continue to be available to residents during regular hours on Saturdays, December 28th and January 4th to handle hard to recycle items.

Knowing what can be recycled at the curb, what needs to be taken to ecopark, and what should be thrown in the trash is the key to a cleaner, safer environment in Monroe County:

“During the holidays, residents produce more than 6 pounds of trash per person per day,” said County Executive Bello. “I encourage everyone to use the tools on our website and learn about what they can do to properly dispose and recycle items this holiday season.”

Holiday items accepted in curbside bins and at the Monroe County/WM ecopark include:

  • All clean paper, including plain wrapping paper and tissue (no metal, foil or glitter), gift bags and gift boxes

  • Flattened Cardboard (including shipping containers, gift and clean pizza boxes)

  • Plastic bottles, jugs, jars and tubs (reattach lids)

  • Metal and glass cans, bottles or jugs

Items that are only accepted at the ecopark include:

  • Holiday lights and decorations that contain electronics

  • Rechargeable, button and lithium ion batteries (always place alkaline in trash)

  • Clean, white, block packing foam — marked as #6 only

  • Christmas trees: artificial (with or without electronics, accepted in electronics) and real

  • Plastic bags / film / envelopes

  • Cardboard and residential recycling

  • Cooking oil – No grease

  • Clothing and textiles

Items that are NOT recyclable and should be placed in the trash include:

  • Bows, ribbons and gift tags

  • Foil and metallic wrapping paper

  • Foam materials (packaging, coffee cups, meat trays, egg cartons or packing peanuts)

  • Food contaminated items

  • Single use items - such as cups, straws, silverware and condiment packaging

Electronics are accepted at ecopark during regular business hours with no fee or appointment necessary.

Starting Thursday, December 26, many towns and villages throughout Monroe County will collect real trees from residents or provide drop off sites. For a complete list of disposal sites, and scheduled pick-ups for Christmas trees, go to https://www.monroecounty.gov/des- environmentalrecycling or click here.

Residents are also encouraged to waste less food this holiday season by knowing how many are attending your gathering and plan appropriately. More information on how to waste less can be found at savethefood.com/guestimator.

The ecopark is open from 1 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays excluding Monroe County Holidays. For a full list of acceptable items, or to make an appointment to drop off household hazardous waste, visit www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark.

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