By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
JULY 6, 2018 | Many of our everyday products we use around the house will not be recycled for a lot of reasons. Many are hazardous products that don’t need to be in the landfill. Others are materials that no longer is financially viable for recycling, such as the way the recycled glass market has deteriorated.
But what do you do with the items that the recycling truck won’t take?
Simply go to the web site of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. It has a long list of items that can be recycled at various commercial locations. By doing this, you will join the millions of people in our country who are doing their part to be a responsible person to help our environment.
What started this venture for me was the need to get rid of four fluorescent tubes that had burned out. Recognizing that they should not be put in the recycled trash since they would splatter into hundreds of pieces of glass……and also realizing that they should not go into the garbage, what to do?
That’s when Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful came into the picture. Going to this site (http://www.gwinnettcb.org/recycling/) I clicked on the “select materials” link, and pop! A long, long list of items that can be recycled popped up. It started with “abrasive cleaners” and went to “yard waste.” Altogether, there are nearly 200 items listed.
Then it lists with addresses the companies that will accept that item for recycling.
For instance, for those fluorescent tubes and compact bulbs, it lists eight locations, from Lawrenceville to Buford, but also in Tucker, Snellville, plus all locations of Home Depot and Lowe’s.
And for glass bottles and jars, the list contains seven drop-off points, including two in Gwinnett, in Snellville and Norcross. Other locations are in Atlanta, Flowery Branch , Roswell, Sandy Springs and Smyrna.
However, for some regular household products, there are no locations listed. That’s what I found when clicking on “insecticides.” Instead, the site says: Recycling centers that accept: ‘Insecticides.” But we found: “This material contains harmful chemicals and is not recyclable. Do not pour down any indoor or outdoor drains as it can cause ground water contamination.” Instead, it gave suggestions to dispose of containers, or to contact the Department of Agriculture (404) 656 4958 for disposal ideas.
Randomly, I clicked on several other products, learning that you should not put in your regular home recycling such items as plastic flower pots, anti-freeze, phone books, coat hangers (take these back to your cleaners), or old trophies, though the Salvation Army accepts and re-purposes old trophies!
So whatever product you have to recycle, this long list of places for disposal from Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful can be invaluable.
THEN THIS WEEK we learned that Gwinnett County will offer free disposal of hazardous waste on August 11 from 9 a.m. until noon at the Department of Water Resources Central Facility at 684 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville. The event will be limited to Gwinnett residents and will include batteries, cleaners, light bulbs and ballasts, lawn care products, oils, paint and pesticides. For a full list of acceptable products, go to www.gcsolidwaste.com.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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