What to Consider When Recycling With limited landfill space available and an average of at least four pounds of waste generated daily by each resident, it’s important to be aware of best practices when it comes to recycling in the City of Westerville. While items such as paper and cardboard, plastic and glass bottles, metal cans and cartons are encouraged to be recycled, no plastic or foam food containers, tanglers*, plastic bags or coffee or party cups are allowed to be disposed of in those 64-gallon blue receptacles. According to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), more than 76% of landfilled materials could be reused, recycled or composted. SWACO provides valuable resources for residents trying to safely dispose of unwanted items in the most efficient, cost-effective and sustainable manner. In addition to providing informational resources on recycling, the City offers other opportunities to reduce waste in the community. The City hosts Household Hazardous Waste Collections for flammables, toxics, reactives and electronics twice per year and provides education on how to dispose of bulk items, holiday trees, fencing, grass clippings and outdoor items. All of this information on recycling best practices and how you can safely dispose of unwanted items is available at www.westerville.org/recycling or www.swaco.org. like clothing, garden hoses and extension cords are not accepted because they * Items can get caught up in the equipment that is used to process the recyclable materials.
The Westerville Electric Division is encouraging residents to recycle old string lights this holiday season at 139 E. Broadway Ave. Lights can be dropped off 24/7. Residents who drop off lights between 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday can receive a free LED bulb in exchange. The program runs from Nov. 26, 2021-Jan. 30, 2022. Since the program’s launch in 2019, Westerville residents have recycled more than 11,700 lbs of lights. By doing so, participants have removed inefficient power drains from the City’s grid and items that can become tangled in trash and recycling facility equipment. (Note: Please refrain from placing string lights in your curbside recycling containers.) Read about this program at www.westerville.org/lightrecycling. 10
