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Recycling Encyclopedia

Welcome to the Division of Solid Waste Management's Recycling Encyclopedia.



Terms

Antifreeze can be brought to one of the Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste drop off events.

Some area transfer stations accept major appliances, and for a fee private haulers and some retailers, provide services for appliance recycling.

Alkaline batteries -Dispose of in the garbage, or you may find a mail away program such as Call2recycle.org

Rechargeable batteries- The NYS Rechargeable Battery Recycling Act requires manufacturers of covered rechargeable batteries to collect and recycle the batteries at no cost to consumers. Many local retailers provide bins for battery recycling.

Button cell batteries- can be brought to one of the Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste drop off events.

Automotive batteries- can be brought to retailers who sell these batteries, for recycling.

Cardboard should be broken down flat, clean and dry and placed in your recycling bin.  Cardboard can also be brought to your local transfer station.

CD’s and DVD’s are not recyclable.  Either donate them or dispose of them in your garbage.

The NYS Wireless Recycling Act requires all wireless telephone service providers that offer phones for sale must accept your cell phones for reuse or recycling.

Coffee pods are not recyclable.  Place them in your garbage.

Disposable cups cannot be recycled. Dispose of them in your garbage.

Electronics can be brought to some transfer stations, check here to see which locations accept them.  You can also bring them to our Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling event.

Additionally, some retail stores accept them for recycling.

Eyeglasses can be donated to your local Lions Club. 

Fire extinguishers can be brought to one of the Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste drop off events.

While food waste normally goes in the garbage can, ideally it would stay out of the waste-to-energy plant and landfills. Composting food waste, fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds and the remains of garden plants is beneficial for the earth and your soils. You can make your own compost bin or purchase one from us on our composting webpage. For further information on how to compost at home please see our composting resources page.

Gasoline mixtures are a hazardous waste and can be brought to one of the Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste drop off events.

These are not recyclable. Donate or dispose of them in the garbage.

Some cartridges can be refilled and reused. If you'd rather recycle, manufacturers have mail back programs or you can bring them back to a retailer that sells cartridges for free recycling.

CFL bulbs can be brought to your local Home Depot or Lowes for free recycling

Flurecent tubes can be brought to one of our Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste drop off events, or by contacting American Lamp Recycling.

Incandescent bulbs can be thrown in your household garbage as it does not contain hazardous materials
 

NY State requires service stations and automotive retailers to accept used motor oil.  

Do not flush any medicines! Dutchess County residents have the opportunity to discard their unused and/or expired medications at a permanent Prescription Drug Drop Box location. Unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications can end up in the hands of children or leach into our drinking water if discarded improperly. A list of drop off locations can be downloaded here.

Latex Paint is not a hazardous waste.  To dispose of it mix one part cat litter (or saw dust) with one part paint.  Let it sit out to dry in a ventilated area.  Once paint is completely dried, place it in a garbage bag, tie it tightly, and dispose of it in the garbage.  

Oil Based Paint is considered a hazardous waste and should be brought to a participating paint care drop off location.

Paper such as office paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, and construction paper can all be placed in your recycling bin.  Staples and plastic windows on your mail are ok.

The acceptance of pizza varies greatly. Check with your hauler or local transfer station.

Plastic bags and other plastic film do not go in your recycling bin.  These items can be brought to your local retailer for recycling.  To find a participating retail visit plasticfilmrecycling.org 

Plastic bottles and jugs should be empty, cleaned of food residue and placed in your recycling bin or brought to your local transfer station.

Plastic straws are not recyclable.  Place them in your garbage.

Plastic Utensils are not recyclable.  Place them in your garbage.

Contact your local gas company to ask if they will accept your tank.

Do not place in garbage or recycling bins. They can be taken to area hospitals for proper disposal. Call the hospital for instructions. Some area hospitals also offer approved containers for sale for transporting sharps.

We do NOT accept smoke detectors at our Household Hazardous Waste events. Please review this article. If your detector is  photoelectric, please remove the battery and throw it in your household trash.

Styrofoam® is not recyclable, dispose of in the garbage.

Textiles such as clothing and shoes do not go in the recycling bin but you can bring them to a clothing donation box.  Go to Reclothe NY to find a drop of location near you.

VHS tapes are not recyclable.  Either donate them or dispose of them in your garbage.

Wrappers such as those from snack bars, potato chips or candy, can not be recycled.  Dispose of them in your garbage.

Yard waste can be composted.  Some transfer stations take yard waste and some municipalities provide seasonal pick-up.