TOB announces glass recycling pilot program

Officials say large, white recycling bins labeled "glass only" are being placed at five locations throughout the Town of Oyster Bay.

News 12 Staff

Apr 4, 2019, 6:51 PM

Updated 1,847 days ago

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The Town of Oyster Bay on Thursday announced a glass recycling pilot program.
A crash in the global market for recyclables is forcing cities and towns to come up with other ways to afford recycling, especially recycling glass. Glass is difficult to recycle because it is expensive to truck and it contaminates the recycling stream.
Officials say large, white, igloo-shaped recycling bins labeled "glass only" are being placed at five locations throughout the town, where residents can bring their discarded glass.
According to the town's website, the locations are the Department of Public Works facility in Syosset, Town Hall South in Massapequa, John Burns Park in Massapequa, a waste disposal complex in Old Bethpage and Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay.
Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino says all recycled glass should be rinsed and have all labels removed. Components like lids or caps are not allowed in the receptacles.
The pilot program will last for 90 days at no cost to residents or the town. A recycling company in Jamaica, Queens, has agreed to pick up the glass for free.
State law mandates that municipalities must pick up residential recyclable items at curbside. If curbside pickup of an item is eliminated, like glass was in the Town of Oyster Bay, officials must make a case to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, proving that curbside pickup is a budget burden.
Oyster Bay officials say they hope to change the public's habits when it comes to recycling glass.


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