Donate,
Recycle & Reuse
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|
Item |
Notes |
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Empty aerosol cans that contained paint or
pesticide must be thrown away in trash. Other empty cans can go in the |
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Anything (or almost) |
If it is still working and/or in good condition: Find a List it on Craig’s List for free: http://rochester.craigslist.org/zip/ Send an email to your friends, they may be looking for stuff or have heard of a need. Check out the Western/Central NY Materials Exchange site: http://www.recycle.net/matex/view.html Look into the Rochester ReUse It group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RochesterNYReUseIt/ Sell it on EBay.com Have a garage sale or donate items to the Pittsford PTSA Super Sale in October. If it is building/remodeling stuff, maybe someone else can use it through Habitat for Humanity: http://rochesterhabitat.org/ReStore/what_we_accept.shtml Bring your stuff/contact for pick up general for
these places (in alphabetical order) ABVI-Goodwill stores. Drop box at Saint’s Place via St Vincent DePaul Society, contact Peter Shadd Volunteers Of America (VOA) |
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Air Conditioners, window units |
If working, check Community Wishbook (see “Anything”). If no longer working, contact your waste hauler (may be an additional fee). They contain Freon that is dangerous to the environment. Towns often sponsor a once a year program to drop them off. Also see “Recycle Center.” |
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Antifreeze (automotive) |
Take to HHW. See “Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility”. |
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Appliances |
Appliances that contain freon (refrigerators, dehumidifiers, air conditioners) must be disposed of appropriately. Contact your waste hauler as there may be an extra charge. Many places need small appliances like toasters
them for clients. Try Saint’s Place via |
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Asbestos |
Fibers that become airborne (Friable) when disturbed are dangerous if inhaled. See “Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility”. |
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Check Community Wishbook (see “Anything”). Birthright Sometimes there are recalls on car seats and toys. |
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Backpacks, duffle bags |
Big need at all times for many in the Community Wishbook. (see “Anything”). Any time of year, Hillside Children’s Center |
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Baked goods |
Share some with your mail carrier, trash haulers, fire dept, group home (Railroad Mills for example) to brighten their day! |
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Batteries, Alkaline or Zinc (non-reusable) |
New batteries are needed by many in the Community Wishbook (see “Anything”). Used alkali batteries can be disposed of in the
trash per Recycled through 'Pail Mail' at www.batteryrecycling.com/pailmail.html |
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Batteries, (Rechargeable) |
If new, check out Community Wishbook Used Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride
(Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb). These are
rechargeable batteries commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular
and cordless phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, two-way radios,
camcorders, and remote control toys.) Preserve natural resources and
keep discarded products out of landfills. Bring to Car batteries (lead-acid) can be taken by individuals to retailers and service stations at no cost. A “$5 return incentive payment” is charged if you do not return a used battery when purchasing a new one. The $5 is refundable within 30 days from date of purchase upon return of used battery. Charge Up to Recycle! program, please call 1-800-8-BATTERY or to find a place near you, enter zip code into: http://www.rbrc.org/start.php |
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Beads |
Donate unused beads and jewelry supplies to Craft Bits and Pieces in Fairport at http://www.craftbitsandpieces.com/index.htm. |
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Bed, mattresses |
Saint’s Place |
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Bikes |
Hillside Children’s Center only in Spring, in good
condition Second Life Bikes. Bikes in good condition or
parts. Drop off at 15 Saddle Brook or, contact Sue Shepard-Davis at Friends Helping Friends 226-230 |
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Blue bins |
See “Recycle Bins” for information
on the correct items to place in the |
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Bottles |
Plastic bottles (soda bottles and soon water and
other drink bottles) will have a refundable deposit. Grocery stores and
business (like EZ Bottle and Can Return, |
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Bottle caps |
See “Plastic bottle caps.” |
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Brick-a-brack |
These are small household items like vases, pictures, floral arrangement, etc. See “Anything”. |
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Books |
Donate to Pittsford Community Library, daycare
centers, preschools, Goodwill, Hillside Children’s Center, Saint’s Place
at Resell to Barnes and Noble in Hardcover and softcover books (those that no one
could use) can also be placed in the Also see Telephone books |
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Brake Fluid (automotive) |
Take to HHW. See “Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility”. |
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Building supplies |
ReHouse Architectural Salvage can also accept used
building materials and remodeling objects, such as kitchen cabinets,
sinks, doors, lighting, etc. |
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Bubble wrap |
Clean wrap (#6 Plastic (Polystyrene) and bubble
wrap and packing peanuts) in good condition. Give to the |
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Bulbs |
See “Light bulbs” |
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(and other labels like Prego) Church of the
Transfiguration and |
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Camping equipment |
Boy Scouts at Otetitiana Council for underprivileged troops. |
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Caps |
See “Plastic bottle caps.” |
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Cardboard (corrugated) |
This is the sturdy cardboard with flutes between
multiple layers, often brown colored. Put it to curb in or next to the |
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Cardboard (non-corrugated= filler board) |
Tissue paper boxes, tp rolls, cereal boxes, shoe
boxes, back of a pad of paper. Just put it in your |
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Cards |
Donate them for craft projects to a Scout troop, day care center, etc. St Jude’s is accepting used, all-occasion greeting
cards from |
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Cars |
Volunteers of National Kidney Foundation http://www.kidney.org/support/kidneycars/index.cfm ABVI/Goodwill has a car donation program: http://www.voawny.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69 |
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Carpool |
Save gas by riding with someone else. Uof R has a carpool web site. You get cheaper parking rates too! Find a carpool out of time http://www.carpoolrochester.com |
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Catalogs/junk mail |
Place in Reduce your unwanted mail. See “Mail.” |
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CD, |
If your electronics just isn’t your taste any
longer you can: Consider donating the Videotapes get tangled and caught on everything so send tapes to ACT (www.actrecycling.org), that employs disabled people to clean, erase, and resell videotapes. |
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Cell phones |
Verizon stores. They have collected more than two million used wireless phones for the benefit of domestic violence victims and advocacy groups. Cell Phones for Soldiers Since 2004 this group uses
proceeds to raise money to help our troops purchase prepaid calling
cards for troops.
www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
Send phone clearly labeled “Cell Phones For Soldiers” to Also see
www.calltoprotect.org and
www.recyclewirelessphones.com or
www.recycleforbreastcancer.org
Also Seneca Park Zoo, Charge Up to Recycle! program, please call 1-800-8-BATTERY or visit www.rbrc.com |
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Clif Bars |
Every year millions of non-recyclable energy bar wrappers end up in our landfills. TerraCycle and Clif Bar are working together to change that. As an eco-friendly innovator, TerraCycle is going to convert the used wrappers (All energy, granola, nutrition, cereal and protein bars with an inner foil lining are acceptable. They cannot accept wrappers that do not have the foil lining or candy wrappers) into unique accessories and other upcycled products. Once you have signed up for the Wrapper Brigade, TerraCycle will mail out 4 prepaid collection bags to your address. Once a collection bag is filled with 200 wrappers, send it back. The Wrapper Brigade program will allow almost any individual and organization to save energy bar wrappers from taking up space in our nations landfills. Clif Bar will donate $.02 per energy bar wrapper you collect to the charity of your choice. If you don't have a charity currently in mind, you may choose from a list of existing charities! There are no signup fees whatsoever. See http://sustainablerays.blogspot.com/2008/05/terracycle-recycles-wrappers.html |
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Clothes, gently used |
March – Scouting for Food & Clothing program (bags on door & Wendy’s Rest. barrels) June- summer clothing drive at Church of the Transfiguration October – Coats for Kids run by Pittsford Woman’s Club often advertised via schools, library, businesses October- Pittsford School PTSA Super Sale donate or consign* November- winter clothing drive at Church of the Transfiguration Anytime: (* indicates consignment and they usually take small household goods too) Act 2 Consignment Shop*, Anything Goes Clothing Consignment Shop*, 136 A Second Thought Resale Shop* ( Bayden Street Settlement Emma’s Consignment Shop*, Lu’s Back Door* Matthew’s Closet, Open Door Mission 210 West Main Street, Second Hand Rose ( St Pauly Textiles St Vincent DePaul Society, contact Peter Shadd Elementary school size-Rochester Children’s Zone |
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Clothes, new underclothes |
Eastern Service Workers (child ages 10-14) via Church of the Transfiguration |
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Clothes, shoes |
Most organizations that take gently used clothing also take shoes and sneakers. See list above. Shoes only: Soles 4 Souls.
http://www.soles4souls.org.
Locally, drop shoes at Naples Creek Shoes and Leather, |
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Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) |
See “Light bulbs”. |
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Computers |
In good condition? Lots of non-profits can use them: http://soundbytes.org/donate.php or http://www.techsoup.org/. Also many towns and schools are now having collection drives. If not in good condition, don’t just toss, let others use parts and discard safely: Rochester Computer Recycling & Recovery, Maven Technologies http://www.maventech.com Sunnking Imagine It http://www.imaginerecycling.com/index.php ABVI-Goodwill Reconnect program. http://www.abvi-goodwill.org Also see
http://www.greendisk.com/ to dispose of electronic data storage
media (floppies, CDs, etc) Also see CD, DVD, VHS topic. |
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Corks |
Make yourself or a friend a cork board. Glue whole corks, of slice them in half lengthwise and put them in a picture frame. Recycle them: Terracycle accept all corks! Natural, synthetic, wine, or champagne. See http://www.terracycle.net/cork/faq.htm. To turn wine bottle corks (natural cork, not plastic ones) into flooring and wall tiles, ship them to these folks. See http://www.yemmhart.com/news+/winecorkrecycling.htm. |
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Coupons |
This is a related topic….A way to reduce spending your money. Lots of different sites are out there, here are some posted in the D&C 11/08: www.couponcraze.com; http://coupons.moms.rochester.momslikeme.com/sp?aff=1170; www.freegrabber.com; http://deallocker.com/tool/secret-amazon-discount; www.frugalvillage.com; www.startsampling.com; www.govliquidation.com |
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Craft supplies |
Girl Scout troops, Day Care centers, Camps, Craft Bits and Pieces in Fairport at http://www.craftbitsandpieces.com/index.htm. Child Care Council Recycle Shop at http://www.childcarecouncil.com/childcarecouncil146.php |
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Crayons |
If you have lots in good shape, donate them to a day care center or after school program, etc. If the crayons are in broken, or well used, send them for reuse. See http://www.crazycrayons.com/recycle_program.html |
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Crocs (plastic shoes) |
The manufacturer recycles used Crocs into new shoes
and donates them to underprivileged families. Drop them off at any
Bon-Ton (Eastview or Henrietta stores) or Journey’s store or the Factory
Shoe Outlet (East Rochester Wegman’s Plaza off Also most organizations that collect donated clothing would accept Crocs. See Clothing. |
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See “Pets”. |
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See CD, DVD, etc |
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Electronics (Walkman, radios, cassette players, cameras) |
Hillside Children’s Center Donate to organization holding a tag sale (PTSA SuperSale, Benincasa) or to Saint’s Place. Trade-in used working small electronic items thru RadioShack.com and get a gift card to spend on new electronics. http://radioshack.cexchange.com/online/home/index.rails |
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Electronics (computers and related equipment) |
See Computers or CD, DVD, VHS, etc topics. |
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Engine oil |
If you change the oil on your car, lawnmower or other equipment recycle the oil at any service station that changes oil or a Quick Lube type place (up to 5 gal /day). Store in a clean rigid screw capped plastic container. Do not mix with other material and never dump it in the environment. Oil mixed with gasoline is accepted at the “Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility.” |
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Eyeglasses |
Lenscrafters at Eastview Mall or any site. They can pass along or reuse the frames, lenses and cases. (www.givethegiftofsight.org). Target Optical department also has boxes. Lions Clubs often place boxes around towns. Rochester Eye and Human Parts Bank Organizations that rehab glasses www.neweyesfortheneedy.com and www.givethegiftofsight.org.. |
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Film canisters |
Most photo labs will accept them. In |
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Fire Extinguisher |
Bring to the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility |
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Food (nonperishable) |
Pittsford Food Cupboard, http://www.stlouischurch.org/banners/pfc.htm For a complete list of food pantries, see http://www.foodlinkny.org/pdf/Food%20Pantry%20Chart.pdf |
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Food Waste products |
Do not put cooking fats (bacon grease, etc) down the drain. Residents can cool fats and place in glass or plastic jars and bring to Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility. Some inedible food waste (meat, fat, cooking oil,
etc) from restaurants and businesses can be recycled into products like
animal feed. Contact Baker Commodities |
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Fluorescent light bulbs |
See “Light bulbs”. |
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Furniture |
Kitchen table & chairs, coffee tables,
Saint’s Place via St Vincent DePaul Society, contact Peter Shadd Wooden furniture - Habitat For Humanity ReStore http://rochesterhabitat.org/ReStore/what_we_accept.shtml Consign with Finders Keepers, Put at curb on nice day before garbage pickup with “Free” sign |
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Hillside Children’s Center Also contact camps, daycare centers, afterschool programs to ask if there is a need |
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Glue bottles and glue sticks |
Starting April 2009, Elmers is providing boxes for
classrooms to collect these items, then bring the full collection boxes
to Walmart. See http://www.elmersgluecrew.com./
for details. Rinsed glue bottles that are made of #1 and #2 plastic can
go in the |
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Here are just a few: St John Fisher has a good resource: http://home.sjfc.edu/green/resources.asp U of R’s efforts: http://sa.rochester.edu/grassroots/pages/projects.html, http://www.rochester.edu/sustainability/index.html and http://www.facilities.rochester.edu/Sustainability/ Green Resources http://www.greeninfosource.com/ Green Irene, eco-consultant at http://www.project-house.us For lots of
information on lots of topics,
http://earth911.com/ TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream at http://www.treehugger.com/gogreen.php Sierra Club local at http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/ national: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/ Genesee Valley Chapter Adirondack Mountain Club at http://www.gvc-adk.org/ Freecycle http://my.freecycle.org/login?redirect=%2Fhome%2Fgroups Live simpler http://www.newdream.org/ New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) http://www.getenergysmart.org/ Simple steps to protect the environment http://eelink.net/cgi-bin/ee-link/newclick/7976295 Climate change info http://eelink.net/cgi-bin/ee-link/newclick/7976293 For recycling ideas (but most have been incorporated here, ) http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1835098-3,00.html), or http://www.container-recycling.org or http://www.environment-green.com Town of Material recycling web site for Environmental info for Energy sites: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer, www.rge.com; www.getenergysmart.org; www.environmentaldefense.org Carbon footprint calculators: www.carbonfootprint.com; www.epa.gov/climate-change/emissions/ind_calculator.html; www.footprintnetwork.org; www.nature.org Calculate your footprint: http://www.Myfootprint.org http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/294.html Water consumption at http://www.wateruseitwisely.com, http://www.fi.edu/guide/schutte/howmuch.html or http://h20conserve.org Electricity consumption: http://www.ecohuddle.com/wiki/how-to-reduce-vampire-power, http://www.Ecofootprintsolutions.com/tag/charger or http://www.powerscorecard.org/reduce_energy.cfm transportation (school bus) http://www.reuters.com/article/pressrelease/idUS183777+09-Apr-2009+prn20090409 http://www.americanschoolbuscouncil.com/index.php?page=fuel-calculator |
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Grass clippings |
If your lawnmower doesn’t have a mulch option, create a compost pile (ask a neighbor if he/she wants them) or use them for a path rather than costly mulch. |
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Hangers (clothing) |
Dry cleaners may take them back or donate them to a second hand shop. |
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Halloween candy |
Nov 1-3 Open Door |
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Health aids (walkers, crutches, DME, etc.) |
InterVol collects and gets supplies to places that need them. This includes durable medical equipment as well as clean bandages, tape, empty pill bottles. For a complete list, see http://www.intervol.org/rums/collection.html Pittsford Ambulance Corps accepts donations of crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. |
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Household goods |
October to June to summer clothing drive at Church of the Transfiguration Also see Anything (or almost) listing |
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Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility ( |
See this site for a list and discussion of items
(like lawn and garden chemicals, paints, stains, cleaners) considered
household hazardous waste:
http://www.monroecounty.gov/des-hhw.php. Make and appointment and bring your items to them
for proper disposal. |
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Helium tank |
Bring to the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility |
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Hearing Aids |
The Starkey Hearing Foundation (www.sotheworldmayhear.org) recycles used hearing aids, any make or model, no matter how old. Lions Clubs also accept hearing aids (as well as eyeglasses) for reuse; log on to www.donateglasses.net/hearingaids.html to find designated collection centers near you. Also see Health Aids. |
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Home Heating Fuel Oil tank |
Contact |
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Ipod |
Bring in an old iPod to an Apple store and get 10 % off a new one. Your out-of-date iPod will be broken down and properly disposed of. The catch? The discount is valid only that day, so be prepared to buy your new iPod. If your IPOD still works, Lifespan and |
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Consider having a jeweler remake it into something new. Donate it to tag sales. See Prom dresses, Pittsford Super Sale. Mardi Gras beads: Send to the Arc of Greater New
Orleans chapter and they'll resell them with profits going to
eco-activism. Arc of Greater |
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Juice bags/pouches |
Because most are a combination of a plastic polymer
and aluminum, these are not recyclable. But TerraCycle will donate 2
cents for each Honest Kids, |
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Juice boxes (gable top) |
Remove the straw and put in the |
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Junk mail |
See “Mail.” |
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Kitchen ware (pots, pans, plates, silverware, etc) |
Saint’s Place via |
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Knickknacks |
Donate to organizations that hold tag sales (churches, PTSA, VOA, etc) Refer to “Clothing, gently used” for shops that take consignment household goods. |
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Crestwood Children’s Center sformico@hillside.com contact her for current need Donate to tag sales. |
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Light bulbs |
Incandescent (old style) can go into garbage. Compact Fluorescent lights (CFLs) use 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than comparable incandescent bulbs, hence they reduce your cost and energy and fuel used to generate power. However, CFLs contain mercury, which should NOT be put into household garbage. Bring CFLs or long tube bulbs to any Home Depot store for proper recycling. Alternately you can contact Hazardous Household (HHW) Waste Facility. Tip: When you buy a CFL, tape the receipt to the box. When you install the light, write the date on the light in an obscure location and note on the receipt where you put the bulb. When the light burns out you can check how long it has lasted. If it has a significantly shorter than advertised lifetime, consider contacting the manufacturer for a refund. |
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Lighting fixtures |
See building supplies. |
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Linen (sheets, blankets, bed spreads, towels) |
Open Door Saint’s Place via If in bad shape, Lollypop Farm |
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Contact school libraries, nursing homes, after school programs, soup kitchens, medical waiting rooms to read or for cutting up for collages/projects. Recycle them in your |
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Reduce the amount of “junk” mail you get (5 years) through the post office by contacting: http://www.govspot.com/ask/nameofflist.htm Reduce your unwanted catalogs by entering information into https://www.catalogchoice.org/login or email optout@abacus-us.com Opt out of receiving pre-approved credit card offers (5 years) 1-888-5-OPTOUT or www.optoutprescreen.com. To stop mail from Direct Marketing Assoc (DMA) members visit (site also has credit card, mag and other things to stop) https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/home.action To stop “resident’ and “occupant” mailings, send email form to http://www.advo.com/consumersupport.html or 1-888-241-6760 A free, quick way to get your name off commercial mailing lists. https://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/. A paid service that stops your junk mail, and actively keeps you from getting back on mailing lists; promises to stop 90% of your junk mail in 90 days. Makes a great gift ($20/year). http://mailstopper.tonic.com/ Get your name off phonebook mailing lists. http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/ Get off former employers lists, http://www.ecologicalmail.org/ All paper mail can be placed in your |
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Material |
For quilting, Church of the Transfiguration Also see Crafts. |
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Medical supplies |
See “Health Aides”. |
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Medicine |
Don’t flush those outdated or unwanted drugs as
they get into the water supply! Bring pharmaceutical waste between Also see Monroe County Hazardous Waste facility (http://www.monroecounty.gov/des-hhw.php),
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Mendon Market receipts |
Drop them off at Benicasa, |
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Metal, scrap |
Recycle it, don’t trash it. Bring to Alpco 846
Macedon Center Road, |
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Microwave ovens |
See “Appliances.” |
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Motor oil |
See “Engine oil”. |
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No N items yet |
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Office Equipment |
UR Med Center departments have a wish list for donations: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/purchasing/wishitem.cfm Find a Check out the Western/Central NY Materials Exchange site: http://www.recycle.net/matex/view.html Special Olympics bnorris@nyso.org |
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Oil |
See “Engine oil”. |
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If you have additions, ideas or suggestions, contact me to update this list: jdztechw@rochester.rr.com. |
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Some are made of vegetable starch and are water soluble. If so, let the kids play in the sink and let them dissolve (but don’t run the water too long). Save them with your gift wrap to use for packaging. Bring them to the |
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Paint |
Nearly full gallons of relatively new paint, Habitat for Humanity ReStore. http://rochesterhabitat.org/ReStore/what_we_accept.shtml For latex paint (1/3 gallon or less), mix with cat litter to absorb and when solidified, put in trash. Reference: http://www.monroecounty.gov/des-hhw.php For oil based paint and latex paint (1/3 gallon or more), it is hazardous waste and must be discarded properly by the county facility. See http://earth911.com/hazardous/paint/disposal-of-paint. |
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Paper |
Use the back side for kids to doodle and figure math problems. Put it in the Monroe County Blue Boxes for pickup. The “Paper Caper” began in 1995. Paper items may be kept together by using a brown paper bag (except for holding shredded paper, do not use plastic bags). Almost any kind of clean paper product can be placed in the recycling bin (NO soiled papers, paper toweling or wet paper). Newspapers, Magazines, Catalogs, etc. Phone Directories Paper Boxes—cereal, cracker, soda, tissue, shoe, gift, toy, etc.: discard plastic liners and flatten. Pizza Boxes: discard all contents and flatten. Junk Mail, Advertisements and Brochures Home Office Paper, Files, School Papers, etc.: shredded paper in clear plastic bags only. All Envelopes: window envelopes too! Paperback and Hardcover Books Gift Wrap and more! Buy 100% recycled paper. Bring shredded paper (not cross-cut paper) to
Lollypop Farm For a list of companies that can dispose of confidential papers (certified document destruction) see “Paper Shredded” in the yellow pages of the phone book. |
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Photo albums |
Hillside Children’s Center Donate to tag sales. |
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Pet supplies |
If you no longer have a pet, donate the supplies to: Lollypop Farm http://www.lollypop.org/orgmain.asp?sid=&orgID=69&storyID=76 WildWings http://www.wildwingsinc.org/store.asp?pid=15329 They can use old blankets, shredded paper, office supplies, etc. See their wish lists. |
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Pharmaceuticals |
See “Medicines”. |
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Pill bottles |
Empty with no label. InterVol at http://www.intervol.org/rums/collection.html. |
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Plants (outdoor) |
Put a “Free to good home” sign next to plants in old pots by your curb. Send an email to friends. Contact schools, daycare centers, Ronald McDonald house |
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Plants (indoor) |
YMCA, churches, camps (not hospitals or daycare centers as they can have allergies) |
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Plastic bags |
Grocery stores have recycle bins. Consider using cloth bags or paper bags rather than one time use bags. Use for packing a gift and as packing material when putting decorations away. Beginning on Earth Day, |
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Plastic |
ONLY #1
and #2 in Here is a cheat sheet. The plastics industry has
put the recycle symbol on plastic to identify what a certain plastic is
made of: No. 2: High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used for detergent bottles and grocery bags. No. 3: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is what salad-bar containers are made from. No. 4: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used for dry-cleaning and fresh-produce bags. No. 5: Polypropylene (PP) is what makes bottle caps, yogurt cups, and drinking straws. See Note below for recycling #5 No. 6: Polystyrene (PS) is also known as
Styrofoam. If clean and in good condition (also bubble wrap and packing
peanuts) deliver to the No. 7: These “other” plastics, such as polycarbonate baby bottles, are generally not recyclable at most centers. The American Plastics Council http://www.americanchemistry.com/plastics/ Note on #5.
Common #5 plastics include yogurt cups, sour cream containers, hummus
tubs and medicine bottles. Send clean plastics in box (preferably
recycled) via ground shipping to: Preserve Gimme 5, 823 NYS Rte 13, Note on #7: The current concern about polycarbonate water bottles/#7 may leach BPA (bisphenol-A) into the water over time. The current recommendation is to use a stainless steel bottle or BPA-free plastic sports water bottle. Recommended plastics are #2/HDPE (most Nalgene bottles are #2), #4 or #5. Avoid using bottles that are #1 and #7. For more information about plastic classification info for #1-7, see http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321 |
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Plastic bottle cap |
They’re made from a plastic that melts at a
different rate than the bottles, and they degrade the quality of the
plastic if they get mixed in. The caps CANNOT go in your Or you can ship directly to: Aveda Re-Cap Program,
ACA Waste Services, |
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Printer cartridges |
Most school have a collection box as do most office supply places, Church of the Transfiguration and Southeast YMCA on Jefferson Road. They are melted down and reworked. Also see Imagine www.imaginerecyclingit.com for more info. |
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Produce (garden/tree overstock) |
Family, friends and neighbors, hospices, senior
living centers, |
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Prom Dress, etc. |
Collection (Jan-March) of fancy clothes (<3 years old) by Fairy Godmothers of Greater Rochester to support girls in financial need with April event. See web site for collection sites. www.fairygodmothersrochester.com |
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Propane tanks |
Bring to the Household Hazardous Waste
(HHW) Facility or contact a propane supplier such as Suburban
Propane |
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No Q items yet |
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Recycle, general info |
Check out these great sites: http://rochesterenvironment.com/recyclin.htm http://newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/recycling.htm, also see http://Earth911.org http://www.earthcinemacircle.com/ecc/ecs/public/main/ourFilms.html |
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Recycle bins (Monroe County Blue boxes) |
To find out what you can and CANNOT put into your
garbage and recycle bins in Also, contact your waste disposal company (Waste Management, Heberle, etc). See also “Paper”. The Netter Recycle Bin cover. A mesh cover that fits snugly over the recycle bin to prevent items from blowing out and away, is easily removed by recycler and won’t get tossed. Contact greenjean@rochester.rr.com. |
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Recycling Center |
Alpco 846 Macedon Center Road, |
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Remodeling |
If you remove a cabinet, sink, tile, etc, the
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
http://rochesterhabitat.org/ReStore/what_we_accept.shtml may be able
to use it/sell it for a small amount to someone who just loves that
chandelier! If you tear out brass pipes, aluminum duct work,
etc, recycle it at Alpco 846 Macedon Center Road, |
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Refrigerators |
Remove doors to prevent a child from being trapped. Contact your hauler (there may be additional fee). If buying a new one, delivery folks may take old one. Contact camps for needs. Bring to Alpco (see Recycle Center above.) |
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Have a year-end collection of items in your child’s school from students and teachers/staff to collect gently used binders, books, paper, games, etc. |
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Scout uniforms (Cub and Boy Scout) |
Hillside Children’s Center Boy Scouts on |
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Sewing items |
Material scraps, buttons, beads, patterns, yarn, ribbons, art supplies, etc to Craft Bits and Pieces, 138 Fairport Landing Village, Fairport at http://www.craftbitsandpieces.com/index.htm. |
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Shoes, purses |
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Sharps (Syringes, lancets, etc) |
Sharps must be in an approved sharps container OR
in a two-liter plastic soda bottle or a rugged laundry soap bottle with
the cap taped on and labeled “sharps” and may be brought to the
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility with or
without an appointment. You can get labels from the |
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Six-pack ring |
Six-pack rings and other plastic debris can
frequently be seen littering roads and waterways. Six-pack rings
are also dangerous to wildlife – animals get entangled in them, snare
their feet, or get their beaks or muzzles wrapped in them. Recycle
six-pack rings by sending them to: Schools can join a program called Ring Leader Recycling Program (www.ringleader.com); kids collect six-pack rings to be recycled into other plastic items, including plastic lumber and plastic shipping pallets. |
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Small things |
Donate to tag sales. |
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Smoke detectors |
Most common type of smoke detector contains a small
amount of Americium 241, a radioactive material. First Alert makes the
majority of detectors takes only First Alert & |
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Sneakers |
Most places that collect clothing also take sneakers and shoes. See Clothing.. If in good shape, donate them to places that accept
clothing or donate them to needy athletes in the Well used sneakers can be made into retread sports
fields. Donate sneakers without metal or light up mechanisms to the |
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Sports equipment |
Bring it to Play it Again Sports, 1900 Empire
Boulevard, Webster, to resell
http://www.playitagainsports.com/cashforgear.aspx,
Donate it to camp, or a younger neighbor, to Bayden
Street Settlement |
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Stuffed animals |
Due to germ issues, used stuffed animals are rarely passed on to other kids. Consider donating to Lollypop Farm or another animal shelter for the animals to use. Craft Bits and Pieces, 138 Fairport Village Landing, Fairport http://www.craftbitsandpieces.com/index.htm. |
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Styrofoam packaging |
See Packing material. |
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Swiffer-type reusable clothes |
Use washable and reusable fleece cloths rather than buying and tossing clothes. Contact greenjean@rochester.rr.com for information. |
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Techno-trash |
See CD, DVD, etc |
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Telephone books |
Put old ones in the If you got too many of the current year’s book,
bring them to Frontier Communications at
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Telephones |
See Cell phones. |
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Most any service station/auto repair shop that
changes tires will recycle them. Cost is about $2.50 per NYS mandate.
Some places may charge a bit more. Or contact Northside Salvage Yard |
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Toiletries (travel samples) |
Pittsford Food Cupboard Open Door Sample Soap http://www.samplesoap.org Often times the Middle School or church groups collect them |
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Tops market register receipts |
St. Monica’s school via Church of the
Transfiguration |
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Toys |
There is current discussion if organizations can accept toys (due to safety concerns of lead in paint, small parts, etc.) So, contact an organization before loading your car with items. Daycare centers, preschools, camps In June at the summer clothing drive at Church of the Transfiguration |
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Transmission Fluid (automotive) |
Take to HHW. See “Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility”. |
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Church of the Transfiguration for Thanksgiving Firehouses, police stations for people that work on holidays |
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Tyvek envelopes |
Tyvek. DuPont, the maker of Tyvek, takes these
envelopes back and recycles them into plastic lumber. Turn one envelope
inside out and stuff others inside it. Mail them to Tyvek Recycle,
Attention: Shirley B. Wright, |
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Underwear. See “Clothing”. |
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See “Cars”. |
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VHS |
See “CD, DVD, etc” |
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Water
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Drink tap water. |
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Water filters, Brita |
Recycle your Brita Filter through Preserve Products Gimme 5 Program. See www.brita.com/us/support/filter-recycling/ for information on mailing the filters. |
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Xmas lights |
Ship your old lights to
HolidayLEDs.com,
Attention: Recycling Program, |
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If you have additions, ideas or suggestions, contact me to update this list: jdztechw@rochester.rr.com. |
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