Holmes County Solid Waste sponsoring Recycling Day
All the old items that can’t be accepted at the usual Holmes County recycling sites will be taken during an upcoming Recycling Day at Harvest Ridge on Saturday, May 10.
Not all recyclable plastics are created equal.
That is a message Holmes County Solid Waste Supervisor Kevin Miller wants to drive home. For many years Holmes County has been waging a battle with public members who have used the recycling sites located throughout the county as their own personal waste stations, where they have dumped items that are not of a recyclable nature, an act that has cost the county thousands of dollars in fines and wages dedicated to removing those items.
“People would be surprised to see all the different kinds of garbage we get in our recycling,” Miller said, “everything from old clothes to refrigerators. But right now we are really focusing on getting out the message about unrecyclable plastics and especially plastic bags.”
Coming up is a day for all citizens to legally dispose of a number of unwanted, broken items they want to get rid of the right way.
As part of ongoing efforts to encourage responsible recycling and eliminate instances of collection bin contamination with nonrecyclables, Holmes County Solid Waste District is sponsoring a Recycling Day event on Saturday, May 10.
Miller said not all discarded plastic items can be deposited in collection bins at various locations within Holmes County, most notably plastic bags of any kind.
The prohibition of all plastic bags in recycling bins includes single-use shopping bags, household garbage bags, water softener bags and plastic bags from household gardening or pet products.
Miller said paper bags work perfectly to collect recyclables and transport acceptable items for deposit in Holmes County Solid Waste collection bins.
Truck bed liners, patio furniture, plastic chairs, laundry baskets and car seats also are among items prohibited at Holmes County collection sites, generally any breakable, hard plastic.
“A good rule of thumb to stick by is if in doubt, just throw it out for designated and appropriate garbage collection,” Miller said. “A lot of people have taken advantage of this special Recycling Day in the past, and that’s a great thing.”
Rigid plastic items that have been illegally dumped in Holmes County Solid Waste containers also include vacuum cleaners, 5-gallon buckets, trash cans, toddler wading pools, sandboxes, hard plastic cat litter containers, plastic gardening pots and planters.
Signs are posted at recycling sites and collection bins are marked with large decals that provide explicit and thorough details about what recyclables are acceptable for deposit.
In response to the increasing numbers of televisions brought to Recycling Day, televisions can only be accepted at the event, at a cost of $2 per individual television. Participants are again reminded agricultural and industrial waste is not accepted at Recycling Day or at any HCSW collection site.
The remainder of items accepted on Recycling Day can be dropped off, free of charge. Acceptable items include household hazardous waste, appliances and electronics. All freon must be removed from any appliance brought to Recycling Day.
To combat the illegal dumping, some prohibited items will be accepted on Recycling Day only, such as passenger tires and light truck tires. A maximum of four tires per licensed Holmes County resident, on-site at Recycling Day, will be accepted, courtesy of sponsorship from Millersburg Tire Service. Tires must be dismounted from rims, and proof of residence must be provided by each person that brings a maximum of four tires to recycling day.
Also accepted will be all types of batteries and oil-based paint.
With this being Miller’s first time hosting this event, he said it will be a learning experience for him and an educational one for the public. He said together Holmes County can work toward gaining a better understanding of exactly what should and shouldn’t be recycled.
“Recycling is a privilege and a right combined,” Miller said. “It’s our responsibility to do what’s right. My hope is to someday go to Akron, where this all is being taken, to get a better idea of everything that goes on there. It’s a learning process for me too.”
Miller said he hopes the public will take time to both learn the proper etiquette of recycling, of what can and can’t be recycled, and to respect the county’s effort to provide this free service.
Recycling Day will be Saturday, May 10 at the Harvest Ridge parking lot, west of Millersburg. The one-day event will begin at 8 a.m., and gates will close at noon at the conclusion of Recycling Day.
Holmes County Solid Waste continues efforts to eliminate the illegal dumping of prohibited items in recycling bins, urging residents to check bin labels to verify what is acceptable for recycling. Anyone with questions regarding the Holmes County Solid Waste District recycling program is encouraged to call 330-763-4848.