(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] There are some things that are recyclable
that you can't put into your curbside recycling bin.
Things like appliances, textiles, electronics, plastic bags,
film, and wraps, printer cartridges, scrap metal,
rechargeable batteries and, more.
There are also items like paints, stains, pesticides,
cleaners, pharmaceuticals, sharps and syringes,
and other household hazardous wastes that you shouldn't
put in your trash or down the storm drain in the street,
because the storm sewer discharges to the nearest waterway
without being cleaned.
Remember, as Larry the H2O Hero says,
only rain down the drain.
So what can you do with them to keep them
out of the landfill and out of our waterways?
You bring them to the ecopark, a unique partnership
between Monroe County and Waste Management.
The ecopark was originally designed for and used by
Waste Management as a trash transfer station.
Everything that entered the facility
was destined for a landfill.
Today, everything that comes to the ecopark
is diverted from the landfill.
All materials that enter this building are extracted
from the waste stream and redirected to the supply chain.
Waste Management is proud to partner with Monroe County
in this one of a kind award-winning facility.
After loading recyclable items into your vehicle,
you can drop them off at regular times
each week at the ecopark.
You drive right into the ecopark
and unload at clearly designated stations.
It's a simple idea, but what happens after you drop off
your materials is what makes the ecopark truly incredible.
In conjunction with the ecopark's many partners,
a myriad of items are recovered and recycled, including:
Electronics, such as computers, televisions,
and cell phones go to a partner that disassembles them,
wipes confidential data, then reuses parts
or turns them into new electronic equipment.
This keeps heavy metals like mercury and lead
from contaminating the environment.
Appliances with refrigerant are collected,
and after the refrigerant is recovered
in an environmentally safe manner, the metal is recycled.
Documents can be shredded and the paper recycled.
Rechargeable and button batteries, such as lithium ion
and nickel cadmium, are collected and sent
to a company that recycles them,
keeping heavy metals out of the the environment.
Fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs are safely recycled,
keeping mercury from contaminating the environment.
White packing foam is turned into building materials.
Scrap metal, from nails to appliances,
gets turned into hundreds of new metal items,
like parts for bicycles and cars.
Usable clothing is donated.
Worn and torn clothing, linens, shoes,
and accessories are reused or recycled,
as long as they are clean, dry, and odorless.
Bulky plastic items too big for your curbside recycling bin
are made into all sorts of new plastic items.
Both one and 20-pound propane tanks from your camp stove
or grill can be brought to the ecopark
to be safely recycled.
No appointment necessary.
Never place any size propane tanks in trash or recycling.
Plastic wrap, film, envelopes, bubble wrap, bags,
and similar materials can be brought to the ecopark
for recycling if they pass the rule of thumb.
If you can put your thumb through the material
and it stretches, it is acceptable for recycling.
If it does not stretch or tears, place it in the trash.
These items will go on to become building materials
such as composite lumber, which is made into decks,
benches, and fences.
Old tires are turned into surfaces,
like athletic fields and stadiums.
Cooking oil is refined and blended to make biofuel.
Sharps and syringes are sterilized at high temperatures,
then crushed into a harmless powder.
United States flags are given a proper retirement
at an energy from waste facility.
Printer cartridges get recycled
into brand new printer cartridges.
Tabs from soda cans go to the Ronald McDonald House,
which sells them to be recycled to raise funds
for sick children and their families.
Cardboard is turned into brand new boxes.
You can also drop your regular curbside mixed recycling,
bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard at the ecopark.
The ecopark is also the permanent home for Monroe County's
household hazardous waste facility.
Hazardous wastes, like gasoline, oil-based paints,
and pesticides, are diverted from landfills,
keeping our rivers, lakes, and oceans clean.
Every year, over 7000 appointments are made
to utilize this service at the ecopark, keeping 300 tons
of pollutants and toxins out of our environment.
These waste are accepted from Monroe County residents
for free by appointment only.
Please see monroecounty.gov/ecopark for more details.
Pharmaceuticals are safely disposed of
so they can't hurt people, fish, or animals.
If you have unwanted pills, don't flush.
Water resource recovery facilities aren't designed
to remove things like steroids and hormones,
so they end up in waterways, harming aquatic life
and impacting water quality.
When this program began in 2008, Monroe County was the first
municipality in New York state and one of the first
in the nation to take back pharmaceuticals.
Today, thousands of pounds of unwanted medicine
is collected at the ecopark every year.
No appointment is necessary to dispose of
your old unwanted medications at no cost.
This award-winning effort is now made easier
for residents with additional drop off sites
in various law enforcement agencies throughout the county.
Both hazardous waste and pharmaceuticals are taken
to energy from waste plants, where they are properly
disposed of while generating renewable energy.
During autumn, leaves that fall from trees in the city
of Rochester and throughout Monroe County are brought
to the ecopark's compost facility.
Throughout the year, these leaves are composted,
a natural process that uses decomposition
to turn organic material into a rich, dark soil,
a gardener's best friend.
Compost is available to all county residents
for free at the ecopark.
Visit the ecopark website for more information.
Nearly everything that comes to the ecopark
gets turned into something, keeping it out of the landfill
and putting resources to their best possible use.
Every year, 40,000 visitors recycle 900 tons of materials
at the Monroe County and Waste Management ecopark.
(upbeat music)