SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – A new pilot recycling program from the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency has been put into effect earlier this summer. This is a voluntary program for residents of Onondaga County to help reduce the amount of glass contamination in recycling. The new program is specifically for non-deposit glass bottles to be recycled at Bottle and Can Redemption Centers to help eliminate the cross contamination in other recycled materials. It is a newer initiative for the summer and Lisa Piering, a Recycling Specialist at OCRRA, is helping to educate and guide the county. Piering says if you don’t want to be involved, that’s fine and you can still put glass in your blue bin.
She says, “You can keep putting things in your blue bin, glass can still go in the blue bin, this is a voluntary program.”
Piering goes on to say that there are 10 Bottle and Can Redemption Centers that members of the community can bring their non-deposit glass bottles to. A non-deposit bottle is a glass bottle that a customer did not pay a deposit on, items such as wine and liquor bottles, as well as glass beverage type bottles. Even though you will not receive change back from these items, you will be making the world a better place, one glass bottle at a time. All other types of bottles and cans, depending, will give around five cents if you take them to a local redemption center, whether that be a standalone center or a grocery store.
Recycling helps to conserve resources that can’t be made quick enough by mother nature. One of the main reasons recycling helps the community and planet, is because it allows for the reuse and conservation of resources, so people don’t have to take new approaches to get materials. Not only does this program and recycling in general help the planet, but it also directly impacts the community because it allows for employment opportunities, like at WestRock Paperboard Mill in Solvay. The opportunities allow for the spread of awareness about the importance of recycling in the community and how to start if you are unsure of how to organize between your blue bin and trash can.
OCRAA is one of the top contenders when it comes to leading the way in recycling and it is noticed by many. Piering goes on to say, “Onondaga County gets regular awards for being leaders in recycling and we are doing a really good job recycling here in Onondaga County compared to a lot of the rest of the country.”
She doesn’t think the program will cause confusion with residents, as it is currently a voluntary program. She also says that this is a step in the right direction, and it can demonstrate to New York that expanding the Bottle Bill on waste recovery and management is a good idea.
OCRRA is working on new initiatives to better Onondaga County and hopes to continue making an impact within the community and with their residents. If you would like more information on the pilot program you can visit https://ocrra.org and you can also sign up for the post or e-newsletter for the latest updates. On their website you can also find the locations of the 10 Bottle and Can Redemption Centers and what kind of recyclables they will accept.
