As you clean out your apartment this spring, keep in mind that it’s illegal — and not just frowned upon — to dispose of televisions, car tires, freezers, and many other “special recycling” items in the county. of Chittenden.
These elements can all be recycledbut not with your usual papers and plastics.
They are “not in the trash”, we like to say. Not in your blue bin. Not in your trash,” said Michele Morris of Chittenden Solid Waste Districtthe public municipal waste handler in Vermont’s most populous county.
Designated Items”special recycling“may be deposited in a recycling center managed by the CSWD, where they will be sorted and sent to special waste managers.
For a complete list of CSWD drop-off centers and the items they accept, go to: https://cswd.net/chittenden-county-solid-waste-facilities/drop-off-centers/
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Electronic and Electronic Waste Recycling
Televisions, computers, printers and others “e-waste” items can be dropped off free of charge for recycling at one of Vermont’s 80 “electric cycles” Pitches.
They are accepted in any condition, broken or not, Morris said.
It is illegal to throw electronic waste in the trash.
“Electronics contain toxic materials (including lead, mercury and chromium) that should be managed responsibly as well as precious metals (like gold) that should be recovered and recycled,” writing the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation on their website.
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Recycling devices with refrigerants
Refrigeratorsfreezers, air conditionersand many other devices can be dropped off at CSWD drop-off centers at 1492 Redmond Rd. in Williston and to 36, burial road at Milton. Most cost $10-15 to recycle.
One of the main reasons these devices shouldn’t go in the trash, Morris said, is that they keep the air in cold by using a chemical compound called refrigerant.
“We contract with a company that comes in to extract this refrigerant, so it doesn’t go into the air and contribute to global warming,” Morris said at the CSWD Williston depot center.
If released into the air, a refrigerant can be a greenhouse gas a thousand times more powerful than carbon dioxide pollution from cars, Rob Jackson, professor of earth system science at Stanford, told nonprofit media outlet KQED.
car tire recycling
Tires are accepted for recycling at all CSWD drop-off centers except Burlington and Hinesburg.
The charge is $3 per tire for motorcycle, car, van and light truck tires.
Tires are “really problematic in landfills because they tend to float,” Morris said. “You can’t compress a tire and pack it in there. Plus, you don’t want that petroleum product going to landfill.”
Petroleum is a key ingredient in most car tires.
Bulbs containing mercury such as CFLs
Compact fluorescent lamps and many other types of lamps containing mercury bulbs are accepted for recycling at any CSWD drop-off center except Burlington.
Many types of bulbs are accepted in quantities of up to 10 per day free of charge.
CSWD ships the bulbs to a recycler that captures the mercury, along with other valuable materials in the bulbs, Morris said.
Battery recycling
Consumer Battery are accepted free of charge at all CSWD drop-off centers except Burlington. Charges may apply for electric vehicle batteries, industrial batteries and other specialty batteries.
It is illegal in Vermont to dispose of rechargeable NiCad batteries, lead acid batteries and batteries containing mercury
.
“If (they) went to a landfill, there’s a higher chance of something toxic escaping and getting into the sewage,” Morris said.
Leaking batteries should be carefully wrapped before being brought in.
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Propane canisters
Propane tanks who weigh 20 pounds or less are accepted free of charge at all CSWD drop-off centers except Burlington. Tanks over 20 pounds are accepted at the Williston drop-off center only, for a $5 fee. Tanks should be emptied when dropped off.
“What we really don’t want is them going into your recycling bin,” Morris said.
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Blue bin recycling items are sent to CSWD Recycling Centerwhere they are tightly compressed under a machine called a baler.
If propane tanks get stuck under a baler, they have the potential to explode, Morris said.
However, propane tanks are “fully recyclable” when brought to a CSWD drop-off center, Morris said. “We send them to scrap metal dealers, and they make sure they get recycled.”
Contact April Fisher at [email protected] Follow on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia
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