Household Hazardous Picture

Here’s When Darien’s & Area Towns’ Household Hazardous Waste Days Take Place

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Darien residents can go to any of these Household Hazardous Waste Day dropoff programs to get rid of stuff if you don’t want to wait for (or miss) Darien’s June 3 drop-off day. If you’ve already got some household hazardous waste you’re itching to get rid of, start putting it aside. The first of the drop-off programs takes place April 29 in Weston, the next is on May 6 in Greenwich. The last one is Oct. 28 in Wilton.

Paint Recycling Darien Recycling Center 04-08-17

What Paints, Paint Products You Can & Can’t Recycle: Saturday Recycling Tip

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A few important reminders when dropping off paint and paint products for recycling:

Darienite.com editor’s note:

Paint is not accepted for Darien’s Household Hazardous Waste Day program, on June 3 this year. Here’s when nearby communities are holding Household Hazardous Waste Day programs, starting April 29 in Weston. _____________

— This is an announcement from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook. Like that page on Facebook and you can get your tips directly, as soon as they come out, and keep informed on other recycling information. Find out more about recycling in Darien here. Other recent recycling tips:

Four Ways to do Single Stream Recycling Better
Old Appliances Like Washers, Dryers & Stoves
Recycle old smoke detectors.

Single Stream Recycling Center 04-01-17

Saturday Recycling Tip: Four Ways To Do Single Stream Recycling Better

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Single stream recycling simplifies how recycling is done by allowing paper, cardboard, plastic, metal & glass to be “co-mingled,” or in one bin. A few reminders, however:
1) RECYCLABLES MUST BE LOOSE — never contained in a closed bag;

2) CARDBOARD should be FLATTENED;

3) LARGER PLASTIC ITEMS should be recycled in the “LARGE PLASTIC ITEMS” drop-off;

4) PLASTIC BAGS should be BUNCHED TOGETHER inside another bag – never loose. These simple steps facilitate operations at the sorting facility, and ensure that the materials you’ve made the effort to recycle are actually recycled! _____________

— This is an announcement from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook. Like that page on Facebook and you can get your tips directly, as soon as they come out, and keep informed on other recycling information. Find out more about recycling in Darien here.

Darien Recycling Center white goods 03-24-17

Saturday Recycling Tip: What To Do With Old Appliances Like Washers, Dryers & Stoves

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“White goods” are non-freon appliances, such as washers, dryers, stoves and microwaves, and they can be recycled in the scrap metal area — no fee. A $15 fee is required for refrigeration equipment (freezers, refrigerators, air conditioners and dehumidifiers) for freon recovery. See attendant in scale house! _____________

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Image from Darien Recycling Center on Facebook o3-18-17

Saturday Recycling Tips: What You Can Do with Bags

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You can recycle bags, and do that at the Darien Recycling Center, but for many bags there are even better options that the recycling center hopes you’ll choose. Here are two tips about bags from the Darien Recycling Center:

#1 — Avoid disposable bags

Single use plastic & paper bags are recyclable, but let’s face it: a lot of resources go into making, transporting & recycling them. 100 billion (yes — BILLION) plastic bags are consumed annually in the U.S., and many end up littering our landscapes, highways and waterways. A variety of reusable bags are available — most are inexpensive, durable and can be cleaned. Find ones you like and make a habit of using them!

Darien Recycling Center smoke detectors 01-23-17

Now You Can Recycle Smoke Detectors at Darien Recycling Center

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Smoke detectors can now be recycled at the Darien Recycling Center! Why recycle them? Most older (ionization) smoke detectors contain a tiny amount of radioactive material, which is sealed inside the device and poses no hazard to users, but should not be thrown in the trash or put in with single stream recycling.  

[Editor’s note: Back on Jan. 24, Darienite.com reported that smoke-detector recycling was coming.

Pens Markers Darien Recycling Center 03-02-17

Saturday Recycling Tip: What To Do With Working Pens, Markers You Don’t Want

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“Have a bunch of working markers, pens or pencils hanging around that you no longer need or want?” Here’s what you can do with them:

Darien Recycling Center recommends that you stick them in a ziplock bag and drop them off at the Swap Shop. Now in its seventh year, the Swap Shop is more popular than ever, as evidenced by its overcrowded parking area on a recent Saturday afternoon. Coming this spring: a new, more permanent, structure for the Swap Shop! _______________

— an announcement (and a second announcement) from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook. Like that page on Facebook and you can get your tips directly, as soon as they come out, and keep informed on other recycling information.

Recycling Center Sign 02-24-17

Saturday Recycling Tip: What Do You Do With Large Plastic Items Too Big for Single Stream?

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Plastics that are too large for single stream can be

recycled at this drop-off at the Darien Recycling Center! _______________

— an announcement from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook. Like that page on Facebook and you can get your tips directly, as soon as they come out, and keep informed on other recycling information. Find out more about recycling in Darien here. Other recent recycling tips:

Recycling used paper towels? On recycling usable and unusable clothing, shoes, linens and accessories like purses and backpacks.

Darien Recycling Single Stream Recycling 02-18-17

Saturday Recycling Tip: What to Do with Used Paper Towels

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Paper toweling seems like it should go in single stream (It’s paper, after all!) … 

… but it does not. Paper towels, napkins, tissues and diapers are among the items considered “contaminated” and should go in the trash. For a complete list of items not included in single stream, click here [to the Recyclng Center’s tip sheet for what to recycle and what not to recycle in Darien] and scroll to the top of page 2 [or see below]. _______________

— an announcement from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook. Like that page on Facebook and you can get your tips directly, as soon as they come out, and keep informed on other recycling information.

USAgain clothing bins recycling 02-11-17

Saturday Recycling Tip For Those Going to the Dump (and Even for Those Who Aren’t)

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When the USAgain bins near the Swap Shop and transfer station building fill up, the contents are removed to a truck like this one. Usable or unusable clothing, shoes, linens & accessories (backpacks, purses, hats, gloves, belts, etc.) can be recycled in these bins. Recycling textiles provides two benefits to the town:

1) a reduction in the amount (and cost) of solid waste hauled way;

2) payment of $200/ton for textiles collected. Recycling textiles also saves natural resources and is a source of affordable clothing for people world-wide. _______________

— an announcement from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook (we’ve changed the punctuation). Like that page on Facebook and you can get your tips directly, as soon as they come out, and keep informed on other recycling information.

Packaging materials Darien Recycling Center 912-26-16

Three Post-Christmas Tips from Darien Recycling Center

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Now that Christmas has come and gone, here are three suggestions from the Darien Recycling Center about what you can do with Christmas packaging material, Amazon delivery boxes and stuff you don’t want: Once they’ve served their initial purpose, you can use them once more. First:

“The holidays mean a  surge in on-line shopping, and that typically results in an overflow of packaging materials. Cardboard, styrofoam and virtually all other cushioning materials can be recycled in single stream. “However, a far better option is to reuse these materials in packages shipped out to others!” Second:

If you’ve got extra stuff that you don’t need — Christmas decorations, stuff that’s been replaced by your new gifts: You can always drop it off at the Swap Shop at the Darien Recycling Center.

Swap Shop building image 8-26-16

Darien Swap Shop at Recycling Center to Get a New Building

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IT’S OFFICIAL! The Town of Darien has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) to upgrade the Swap Shop. __________

— This announcement from the Darien Recycling Center on Facebook was first reported by Darienite on Aug. 27. We see this old news being reported elsewhere, based on a Friday news release from our state legislators.

Darienites Can Go: New Canaan Household Hazardous Waste Pick-up Day is Saturday

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There are three more Household Hazardous Waste Days in nearby towns where Darien residents can go to drop off the stuff, and New Canaan’s pickup day is this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Here’s the New Canaan announcement, which includes a list of items you can bring and what you should NOT bring:
Hazardous Waste Day
September 17, 2016 – Household Hazardous Waste Day – 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Wastewater Plant (394 Main St.). The Town of New Canaan Residents are allowed to attend Hazardous Waste Days of surrounding Towns on the following list at no cost to the residents. Click here for a list of surrounding Towns. Please have drivers license or registration readily available No commercial (business) loads accepted

What is household hazardous waste? Household hazardous waste can be any improperly discarded product that can be classified as toxic (poisonous), corrosive, flammable or reactive (explosive). Such products can be found in most homes, garages or workshops and when improperly disposed of can poison people and animals and pollute the home and natural environments.