The Orange Recycling Committee and the town have been busy over the last nine months.
Last fall, town composting began so that Orange residents can now take their compostable material to the Transfer Station and Recycling Center located at 100 S. Orange Center Rd. There are four large green bins to toss kitchen waste into. Acceptable items are:
Fruits, vegetables, peels, pits
Eggs and eggshells
Dairy products
Meat and poultry including bones
Seafood including shells
Coffee pods and tea bags
Baked goods, chips and snacks
Pet food
Rice and grains
NOT accepted items include coffee pods, plastic wrap, takeout containers, plasticware, paper goods, metal or aluminum foil, jars or glass or pet waste.
Bay State Textile Recycling started serving Orange in January with a new opportunity to recycle clean, dry textiles while producing added revenue for the town. Recycling clothes, footwear, towels, bedding and other fabric-based products prolongs their life and reduces waste, providing social, environmental and economic benefits. You can find their collection bins at three locations in town:
High Plains Community Center near the pavilion
At the Orange Transfer Station across from the hopper
Orange Public Works driveway at 308 Lambert Rd. near the Police Station
Go to baystatetextiles.com for more information and to see what can and cannot be donated.
A new, sturdy plastic bag shed was installed at the transfer station in May. A big thanks to the Orange Rotary Club for securing funds for the purchase of this shed from Home Depot, which took care of all the particulars including constructing the shed on site. And many thanks also to the Orange Public Works Department for leveling and grading the area so the shed sits securely.
The shed has signs indicating what can be recycled and what can’t. Please read and adhere to these guidelines so everyone’s recycling efforts pay off and the plastics aren’t contaminated. For instance, mulch bags, fertilizer bags, animal and bird food feed bags and black plastic bags are not accepted. As with all recycling, if we don’t recycle materials properly, they can damage equipment, injure workers, slow the process down, increase the cost of sorting and decrease the value of recyclables.
A glass jar and bottle recycling bin was added to the left of the mixed recyclables contanter in June. Among the many reasons to recycle glass are that it can be recycled endlessly with no loss in quality. Orange will save valuable tax dollars, as this program will be less expensive than paying for the cost of transporting single-stream mixed recyclables.
The collected glass will be taken to Urban Mining, a recycling company in Connecticut. They create a wide range of products including fiberglass insulation, food and beverage containers, reflective materials and other consumer and industrial products. When recycling glass, the food-grade containers and bottles should be empty and clean. Remove the lids, which can go into your recycling bin. Redeemable beer and soda bottles should be returned for their deposit value or given to a local donation center that collects redeemable bottles for local charities. No plastics or bags are accepted.
A very successful Shredding Day was held at HPCC in April. A huge 12,450 pounds of paper was shredded to be repurposed by a local paper manufacturer. Fifty-six mattresses were collected by Bye Bye Mattress, which not only keeps mattresses out of landfills but recycles each part into new and useful products. Electronic recycling collected over 50 computers and hard drives which were then wiped clean of data and broken down for their scrap metal value, while also ensuring landfill disposal of the remaining waste.
This service was funded by the Rotary Club of Orange, which received $2,443 for the Orange Rotary Scholarship Fund.The Orange Lions Club charities provided at-home pickups.
The Orange Household Hazardous Waste Collection also took place in April at HPCC, providing residents with a safe and easy way to protect our environment by keeping chemicals out of our landfills, roadsides and waterways. The Regional Water Authority reported 168 cars counted and 230 pounds of hazardous waste collected. This includes liquids, solids, antifreeze/oil and miscellaneous household waste products.
HazWaste Central is now open for the season at 90 Sargent Dr. in New Haven. Go online to water.com/hazwaste/to for more information including the collection schedule, how to register and satellite collections.
Support the Orange Recycling Committee efforts! Our next Shredding Day will be on Saturday, Oct. 26 at High Plains Community Center.
Article originally published in the Milford-Orange Times.
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