Fulton County will begin seeing single-stream recycling later this year. The county has entered a five-year contract with the Utica-based Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority to take Fulton County鈥檚 recyclables.
The program will involve county residents mixing all recyclable items 鈥� plastic, paper, metal, glass 鈥� together loosely in one container with a lid. Residents won鈥檛 be allowed to put recyclables in plastic bags after the program starts, except for shredded paper. 鈥淓verything we are recycling now, 聽paper, letters, plastic bottles, all go into the same container,鈥� Fulton County Solid Waste Recycling Coordinator Dianne Woske said.
Woske said the county is already starting to take recyclables to the new site. The full Fulton County Board of Supervisors approved the new system in November. The county has had bagged pickup for recycling since the program first began. 鈥淭here is no more plastic bags anymore, it is all going to go loose into the same container,鈥� Woske said.
Pizza boxes will now be accepted in recycling bins, and residents can use any color can. Woske said the county will also begin accepting gabletop containers (which include things like heavy cream cartons). She said plastic items, such as deli containers, will also now be accepted.
The county will be sending out brochures about what will now be accepted starting in February. There will be a 50-pound limit on recycling day. The items need to be in a containers no larger than 35 gallons and must have a lid. Woske said it is not just one bin per household. 鈥淵ou can have multiple bins,鈥� she said.
Residents will need to purchase their own bins. Woske said she suggests a trash can with an attached lid and wheels for easier transport. People can also use Rubbermaid style totes with a lid. 鈥淚f your bin is only half full, maybe you should wait until the next pickup, until you have a full bin,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou might have two bins, bring the full one out and keep continuing to filling [the other one.],鈥� she said.
The county will send out free stickers that need to be placed on the bins to designate them as recycling. The program will have a soft rollout transition period starting this month, before officially starting in March.
During this time, people can start to use a lidded container or can continue to use bags. 鈥淲e will take it either way,鈥� she said of the two-month transition period.
Collection will be done by a garbage truck. 鈥淓verything you have in your recycling bin, such as milk jugs, take up a lot of room,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e going to do in the garbage truck is to take everything and compress it. We鈥檒l get so much more into a truck than we presently get. It will be a lot more efficient.鈥�
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