Recyclopedia By Category

RECYCLOPEDIA - The Three Rs of Recycling 

 
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 75% of the trash Americans throw away each week is recyclable. Yet only 25% is actually recycled. Simple steps can help our home, our families and the environment. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Small recycling efforts make a significant impact.
 
Recycling is more than just filling the red and blue bins every week. There are many questions you can ask yourself from the time of purchase onward. What is it made of? Is the packaging recyclable? How long will it last? What will I do with it once I am done with it? Does it have any life left? Getting into the habit of thinking this way will help you make “reduce” and “reuse” part of the recycling process.
 
Just as important as recycling is to keep your recyclables free of contamination. For example, plastic bags can be recycled, but not curbside. If they are added to your recycling bins, they can clog up the machinery in the transfer station. As another example, greasy pizza boxes should be discarded rather than added to your paper and cardboard bin. The goal is to recycle right, and the information you need can be found in this Recyclopedia.
 
If you cannot find an item in our database, see a mistake, or have other solutions, please email us with your suggestions, corrections and updates. Thank you!
 
 
Categories

 

Binders, 3-Ring

Reduce/Reuse

If lightly used you can donate to Good Will or Love in Action.

Recycle

Binders must be dissected in order to be recycled. Cut off the metal 3-ring mechanism and place in comingled bin. Extract the cardboard and vinyl from the front and back covers.  Vinyl goes in the comingled bin and cardboard in the paper and cardboard bin.

Disposal

Should be recycled. If you cannot take the binder apart, the entire item may be placed with waste.

Books, Hardcover

Reduce/Reuse

If your books are in good condition, there are several options to consider.

The Croton Free Library accepts donations for its yearly book sale.  There is a donation bin at the bottom of the library parking lot. No textbooks please.  Collection has been suspended during the pandemic but should resume once the library reopens fully.

Goodwill accepts donations of books.
https://www.goodwill.org/

Better World Books - Sell or recycle. Will pay for shipping. You must get the books to UPS. Check site for details.

Green Textbooks - Accepts textbooks up to 20 years old. Check site for details.

Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE) - This not-for-profit accepts children's books, stuffed animals, toys, and baby blankets that are clean and in good condition. SAFE delivers them to children in emergency situations or donates them to other children's organizations, military organizations, libraries and nursing homes. This is a mail-in program.

Recycle

The book can be disassembled and the pages recycled in the paper and cardboard bin.

Disposal

The covers, bindings, spine, and glue remnants are waste and cannot be recycled.

Books, Softcover

Reduce/Reuse

If your books are in good condition, the Croton Harmon Free Library accepts donations for its yearly book sale.  There is a bin for books at the bottom of the library's parking lot.  Collection has been suspended during the pandemic but should resume once the library reopens fully.

Recycle

Place in paper and cardboard bin.

Disposal

Please reuse or recycle.

Boxes, Corrugated Cardboard

 

Reduce/Reuse

Some gardeners use flattened cardboard boxes for mulch, with wood chips or shredded bark on top of them.  They make an excellent weed barrier for a whole season, much better than the wood chips or bark alone.  With the tape and stickers removed, the rest will gradually decompose. 

Recycle

Place curbside on your recycling day.  Empty them of plastic packing materials first. Smaller boxes can be put inside one another.  Big boxes should be flattened and stacked, or bundled with twine.  Plastic packing materials must be disposed of or recycled separately.

Disposal

Please recycle. 

Boxes, Paperboard

Reduce/Reuse

Please recycle.

Recycle

Place in paper and cardboard recycling bin. Plastic windows on the box are OK.

Examples:

  • Food Boxes: Cereal, pasta, snacks, pet food, crackers, Jello, etc.
  • Non-Food Boxes: Tissue, shoe, toy, gift.

Remove tape and Styrofoam.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Cake and Brownie Boxes

Reuse

Please recycle.

Recycle

Non-corrugated cardboard can be put in the paper and cardboard recycling bin. 

Disposal

Please recycle.

Cardboard, Corrugated

Reduce/Reuse

Please recycle.

Recycle

Remove packing material from boxes and dispose of it separately. Collapse cardboard and place inside another box, or tie
in bundles. Place curbside on recycling day.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Cardboard, Foil-Lined

Reduce/Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Currently, there is no recycle option available for this item.

Disposal

Place in trash.

Cardboard, Soda and Beer Packaging

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Flatten and put in paper / cardboard recycling bin.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Catalogs

Reduce/Reuse

Please recycle.

Recycle

Put in recycling bin with paper and cardboard.

Disposal

This item should be recycled.

Cereal Boxes

Reuse/Reuse

Please recycle.

Recycle

These boxes are placed in the paper and cardboard recycling bin.  Plastic windows on the box are OK.

Other Examples of food containers that can be recycled with paper and cardboard:

Pasta boxes, Pet Food bags, Cracker boxes, Jello boxes, Frozen Food boxes, Egg Cartons

Disposal

Please recycle.

Cigarette Packs

Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Remove the inner foil and place with paper and cardboard for recycling.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Corrugated Cardboard

Reuse

Cardboard can be used to keep weeds down in gardens.  A top dressing of wood chips will cover it from sight and keep it in place.  The combination of cardboard and wood chips is called "sheet mulching" and makes an effective, biodegradable weed block that lasts a full year.

Recycle

Collapse cardboard and place inside another box or tie in bundles.  Place curbside on your recycling day.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Cups, Paper and Cardboard

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Recycle all clean cups in paper bin. Rinse as required.

If waxed they cannot be recycled.

Disposal

Please dispose of as trash if they cannot be cleaned, or if they are waxed. 

Egg Cartons, Cardboard

Reuse

If you will not be reusing your egg carton, please recycle.

Recycle

Put in the paper and cardboard recycling bin.  Or, tear apart and add to your compost bin.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Envelopes and Letters

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

These can be placed in paper and cardboard recycling bin. Envelopes with plastic windows are OK to recycle.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Fabric

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

The Village of Croton-on-Hudson has partnered with Helpsy to offer a free, home pickup clothing recycling service for residents. Croton residents can visit www.helpsy.com/crotononhudsonny and schedule at-home pickups on Thursdays, starting March 7, 2024. After scheduling a pickup, residents can leave the items at their front door in clearly labeled plastic bags. Drivers make home pickups between 7 am and 5 pm. Helpsy recommends requesting a pickup when you have a minimum of 3 bags to minimize emissions. For additional questions, please email info@helpsy.co or call 1-800-244-6350.

Residents can also drop off textiles by making an appointment with the County’s Household-Material Recycling Facility (H-MRF), 15 Woods Road, Valhalla.  The H-MRF is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. by appointment only. For more information about the H-MRF, or to make an appointment today, visit https://environment.westchestergov.com/facilities/h-mrf or call (914) 813-5425.

In addition to clothing, the County's expanded textile recycling program provides residents the opportunity to recycle shoes, sneakers, slippers, boots, backpacks, purses, duffle bags, gloves, sheets, towels, blankets, curtains, leather, throw rugs, pet clothing, and more. The items can be in any condition (torn, worn, stained, broken zippers, etc.) as long as they are clean, dry, and odorless. A full list of accepted items can be found online at: https://environment.westchestergov.com/residents/recycling-guidelines/textiles

 

Disposal

Please recycle.

Frozen Food / Wax Coated Boxes / Containers

Reduce/Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

If waxed, rinse and place with mixed recycling (not paper/cardboard.)  If unwaxed, place with paper/cardboard.  If plastic, can be recycled at the supermarket with other plastic bags.

Disposal

Please recycle

Greeting Cards

Reduce/Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Recycle with paper and cardboard.

Disposal

Please recycle

 

Junk Mail

In order to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive, consider the following:

Register to have your name removed from mailing lists.

1. The National Do Not Mail List, offered by DirectMail.com - makes the list available to mailing list owners and users for one reason only: so they can remove (or add) your name to their lists based on your stated preferences. When you complete the online National Do Not Mail List form, you can indicate if there are any mailings you would like to receive (a list is provided). You can choose as many or as few-or none-as you want.

2. The second service is called DMAchoice, offered by the Direct Marketing Association, and charges $1. You can register online or by regular mail. Your request is good for five years, and you can let them know what mail you want to get as well as what you don't want.

(Note: Neither DirectMail.com nor the Mail Preference Service can guarantee that your name will be removed from ALL mailing lists on which you appear. Therefore you may want to try some of the suggestions stated below as well.)

You can contact these mailers directly and ask to have your name removed: Valassis/Red Plum and Valpak.

When you order something from a catalog, your name and address is likely given to Abacus, an alliance of mostly catalog and publishing companies. To have your information removed from Abacus, you can contact them directly to have your name removed from their list. Abacus can be reached either via e-mail (abacusoptout@epsilon.com), by mail: Abacus, Inc., PO Box 1478, Broomfield CO 80038; or by phone: (888) 780-3869.

To be removed from the mailing list of major sweepstakes mailers, contact the following: Publishers Clearinghouse, by phone: (800) 645-9242, or by mail: Consumer & Privacy Affairs, Publishers Clearinghouse, 382 Channel Drive, Port Washington NY 11050; or by e-mail: privacychoices@pchmail.com. And Readers Digest Sweepstakes, by phone: (800) 310-6261, or by mail: Reader's Digest, PO Box 50005, Prescott AZ 86301-5005.

Reduce/Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Place in recycling bin for paper and cardboard. Plastic windows on the envelopes are okay.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Magazines

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Place in paper and cardboard recycling bin.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Newspaper

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Recycle in paper and cardboard bin.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Notebooks, Spiral

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Remove spiral binding. Place notebook in recycling bin with paper and cardboard.

Binding can be recycled as scrap metal.  Scrap metal can be recycled curbside by scheduling a Wednesday special pickup.  Make an appointment for pickup here:

https://croton.seamlessdocs.com/f/metalpickup

Disposal

Please recycle.

Paper Plates

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

If clean and unwaxed, put in paper and cardboard recycle bin.

Disposal

If greasy, place with waste.

If waxed, place with waste.

Paper Towel Rolls

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Place in recycling bin with paper and cardboard.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Pasta Boxes

Reuse

 

Recycle

Can be recycled with paper and cardboard. Plastic windows on the box are OK.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Phone Books

Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Recycle in paper and cardboard bin. No need to remove cover.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Photographs

Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Currently, there is no recycle option available for this item.

Disposal

Place with waste.

Pizza Box

Reuse

Please recycle.

Recycle

If clean, place with paper and cardboard.  If greasy, it should not be recycled. You can easily tear the box apart so the greasy bottom half can be thrown away and the clean top half placed with recycling.

Disposal

If it is greasy, it must be placed with waste.

Post-It Notes

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

Can be recycled with paper and cardboard. Sticky edge is OK.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Shredded Paper

Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Place in paper and cardboard recycling bin.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Soy, Rice, Almond, Hemp Milk Cartons

Reduce/Reuse

 

Recycle

All soy, rice, almond, and hemp milk cartons (aseptic packages) should be rinsed and placed in the mixed recycling bin.  They are not placed with paper and cardboard in order to keep the items in the paper/cardboard bin dry. The caps can also be recycled.

Disposal

Please recycle.

Tissue Paper

Reduce/Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

If unused, recycle with paper and cardboard.

Disposal

If dirty, place with waste.

Tyvek, House wrap

Reuse

Currently, there is no reuse option available for this item.

Recycle

Currently, there is no recycle option available for this item.

Disposal

Place with waste. This is not recyclable. Large quantities are considered construction/demolition debris and must be disposed of by your contractor.

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