Confusion arises over new Trumbull recycling rules

WARREN

Changes to the types of recyclables the Geauga Trumbull Solid Waste Management District will accept have even left veteran recyclers confused, said Greg Kovalchick, district director.

“Even the ones who recycle are having trouble keeping track of the recycling changes,” he said.

Perhaps the biggest change at Geauga Trumbull is that it no longer accepts typical store plastic bags, which Tom Hartzell, assistant director, said were eliminated about six months ago because they jam up sorting equipment used to separate the different types of recyclables.

The district’s recycling bins do not require citizes to separate recyclables by type. Instead, cardboard, plastic, metal and newspapers are all placed inside bins together.

Holly Carino, Geauga Trumbull director of community outreach, said glass is also no longer supposed to be placed in its recycle bins because of the low value of glass in the marketplace and because glass breaks and contaminates other recyclables.

Perhaps the best guide for what materials are accepted and not accepted is contained on Geauga Trumbull recycle bins.

The information comes from Ohio Valley Waste Services of Girard, which collects the items from Geauga Trumbull bins and delivers it to a sorting facility in Pennsylvania. The guidance says Ohio Valley Waste wants metal food and beverage cans and empty and dry foil trays but not aluminum siding, lawn furniture, paint cans, aerosol cans and pressurized gas containers.

Ohio Valley’s web site says it accepts aluminum, metal and bi-metal cans and aluminum foil.

It wants plastic bottles, milk and water jugs, liquid detergent, bleach and softener bottles but not toys, furniture, oil or chemical bottles, bubble wrap or foam cups, plates, peanuts or blocks.

The web site (www.ohiovalleywaste.com/recycling) says it does not want tarps, pool liners, sandwich bags or thin, plastic films.

It wants newspapers, junk mail, office and computer paper — but not gift-wrapping paper of any type, phone books, hard-bound books, paper towels or wet paper. It wants clean, corrugated cardboard and paperboard boxes that have been flattened but not pizza boxes, milk cartons, juice boxes, take-out food containers or oily, soiled, wet or contaminated cardboard.

The Ohio Valley Waste web site additionally advises recyclers to not leave recyclables in plastic bags when they are deposited into recycle bins. It does not want hoses, extension cords, Christmas lights or ropes.