Over twenty-five years and counting. That’s how long Ontario county residents have been sorting glass, metal, paper, and other recyclables, using curbside recycling bins, and disposing of recyclables at our transfer stations. I’m proud of the efforts of our eco-friendly community.

Yet, despite our strong track record for reducing, reusing, and recycling, I am dismayed when residents express the belief that recyclables wind up in the landfill.

Allow me to break this issue down for you. Quite simply, all properly sorted recyclables processed at our Zero Sort Materials Recovery Facility are shipped to market not to our landfill! National news coverage relative to the lack of markets and thus the disposal of recyclables in landfills is not the full reality. Yes, the Chinese ban related to the acceptance of certain recycling streams has been a hurdle for the recycling industry, however other markets for recyclables are still available and new markets have opened up to help offset this loss. We must continue to stay the course and do what’s right.

It’s important to know that the types of materials that can be recycled changes over time so residents may unknowingly be missing the opportunity to recycle certain items.  We recommend that residents visit our website with regularity to stay on top of what is and is not recyclable. Better yet, register for updates and you won’t miss out on any of our news. 

The site was developed specifically to assist residents with the dos and don’ts of recycling, as well as the hows and the wheres for managing challenging materials such as batteries, appliances, and tires. You’ll find links to videos, answers to frequently asked questions, and information about scheduled disposal events.  Oftentimes, registration for these events is required.

I encourage you to visit the site – http://ontariocountyrecycles.org – and while you’re there, take a moment to sign up to receive important updates. And thanks for helping to protect Ontario County’s environment.

All the Best,

Carla Jordan