Orange’s New Recycling Service: Tips For A Smooth Pickup

Enviro Express of Bridgeport began collecting residential recycling in Orange on July 1, after being selected by the Board of Selectmen following a competitive bidding process. While all residents have kept the same recycling collection day, pickup times may differ from the previous provider.

During the first few weeks of service, some residents contacted Orange Public Works and Orange Recycling Committee Chair Mitch Goldblatt to report missed collections or unexpected pickup times. As the Enviro Express team becomes more familiar with Orange’s routes, these issues have lessened.

Recycling collection may begin as early as 6 a.m. To avoid missing collection, residents are strongly encouraged to place their blue recycling bins at the curb the night before their scheduled pickup day. As with any service, occasional glitches can occur, and severe weather may affect collection schedules. Your patience – and reporting any issues to Public Works – is appreciated.

If your recycling bin was placed at the curb on time but wasn’t collected, one possible reason is contamination from non-recyclable materials. Please take a moment to make sure only accepted recyclables go in your blue bin. For a complete list of accepted materials, visit OrangeRecycles.com/your-bin. To look up how to recycle a specific item, use the search tool at RecycleCT.com.

As part of its efforts to reduce contamination, Enviro Express collection crews visually inspect recycling bins as they’re emptied. If they see unacceptable materials, such as trash, plastic bags, heavily soiled containers or other non-recyclable items, they may leave the bin uncollected. In some cases, a photo is taken and sent to Town Hall to document the contamination.

This process helps prevent contamination that can cause an entire truckload of recyclables to be rejected, allowing the town to avoid unnecessary disposal costs and ensuring more materials are successfully recycled.

Residents can help keep Orange’s recycling program running smoothly by following these simple guidelines:

• Place only accepted recyclables in the blue bin: paper, cardboard, cartons, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, jugs, tubs and containers and metal cans.

• Do not place trash, plastic bags, bubble wrap, plastic film, black plastic containers or other non-recyclables in the blue recycling bin.

• Accepted types of plastic bags and wraps should be taken to the Orange Transfer Station (signage clearly states allowed and not allowed materials) or participating retail stores that accept clean, dry plastic film for recycling.

• Place recyclables loose in the cart (or in a brown paper bag if needed), flatten cardboard boxes, and place your cart at the curb with the opening facing the street.

A few simple steps can help ensure your recycling is collected and processed properly while keeping Orange’s recycling program efficient and cost-effective. If you experience a missed collection or have questions, contact the Orange Public Works Department at 203-891-4712.

You can follow the Orange Recycling Committee for more updates on facebook.com/ORCinCT.

This article was first published on theorangetimes.com.