The Board of Selectmen created an Environmental and Sustainability Task Force which held its first meeting July 29 and will be meeting every month to advance such initiatives as beautification, education, environmental protection, recycling and waste reduction. There is always room for new members on the task force, so please feel free to get involved by attending our next meeting in October.
The following information includes the Town’s current recycling opportunities to make resident both aware and to encourage greater use.
What’s in What’s Out
Suffield residents have been doing a good job of utilizing their blue single-stream recycling carts, but we hope to make 2019 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. Recycle CT’s “What’s in-What’s out” tool 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 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 wrapping around an item. Paper towels should not be recycled. Keep in mind that cereal boxes are recyclable, but the plastic liner 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, newspapers and mail. Also, only food-grade aerosol cans like those used for cooking oil or whipped cream are acceptable, while others are not. Make sure to rinse your containers first before tossing. Things like wood, Styrofoam, clothing, loose bottle caps and any kind of shredded paper are not accepted in your blue carts.
Used Motor Oil, Gasoline and Antifreeze
Used motor oil, gasoline and antifreeze are NOT accepted at the landfill. Several free options are available for used motor oil which include:
1. USA Hauling will pick up one gallone of oil every other week on their recycling schedule. Oil should be placed curbside in a sealed plastic container.
2. The Auto Zone store in Enfield will take up to five gallons per day in oil containers. The Auto Zone in Windsor takes up to two gallons per day.
3. Save up oil during the year and dispose of it at Hazardous Waste Collection Day.