Suffield residents have been doing a good job of utilizing their blue, single-stream recycling carts but we hope to make 2018 even better. New information is now available on the Town’s website to make it clear what we can and cannot put into our blue carts.
Go to www.SuffieldCT.gov and click on the Town Offices and Services tab at the top of the page. Then select Trash and Recycling on the left hand column. At the top you will find a link to Recycle CT’s “What’s in-What’s Out” tool which lets you type in a specific item to see if it can go into your blue cart.
Recycling is good for many reasons but it also saves the Town money. We are charged a tipping fee based on the tonnage of trash in our black carts. The more acceptable items we can put into our blue carts, the lower the Town’s trash tonnage fee will be. It is also important to recycle correctly to reduce contamination which lowers the resale value of the recycled commodities.
There are some things that should never be placed in recycle carts. Plastic film, including shopping bags, zip lock bags, frozen vegetable bags or any plastic that is used as a wrapping around an item, like paper towels, should not be recycled. Keep in mind that cereal boxes are recyclable but their plastic liner bag is not. Most grocery stores will accept plastic bags and plastic film wrapping in their recycling carts at the front door.
Single stream recycling is only for household food and cleaning product containers, cardboard, newspaper, and mail. Also, only food grade aerosol cans like those used for cooking oil or whipped cream are accepted while others are not. Make sure to rinse your containers first before tossing. Things like wood, Styrofoam, clothing, loose bottle caps and any type of shredded paper are not accepted in your blue carts.
The state’s Comprehensive Materials Management Strategy (CMMS) requires a 60% rate of waste diversion by the year 2024. To achieve this goal, Connecticut must reduce its Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by 10% and increase its recycling rate from 35% to 45%. Remember to reduce, re-use and recycle whenever possible.
For more information on single stream recycling, broken cart replacements or Landfill policies, visit our website or call the Department of Public Works at 860-668-3890.