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Treasure Hunt
Hudson Valley Materials Exchange Material Recovery Facility Tours Multi-Family Dwelling Recycling Business Recycling Enforcement: Recycling and Waste Hauling Public Information and Education Educational Materials: Recycling Office Brochures Other Available Printed Materials
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TREASURE HUNT: Treasure Hunt is an informational "swap shop" where county residents and businesses wishing to dispose of usable items are matched with those in need of used goods. Treasure Hunt can be accessed by clicking the above link or by calling 813-5415. When donors participate, their items and phone numbers are listed in the Treasure Hunt data bank and made available to persons seeking those items. No cash changes hands and it is the responsibility of the recipient to pick up the donated goods. Hudson Valley Materials Exchange
(HVME)- non profit community
warehouse, open to the public, specializing in the redistribution of arts,
education and building materials rescued from the business waste stream.
Services provided include waste assessments, distribution of reusable business
waste and workshops illustrating possible re-uses for such materials. HVME
is located on the grounds of Stewart Airport in Newburgh, Orange County. HVME
is planning to take their program on the road through their
"Reuse-a-Bus: Learning with Leftovers" project and will be available
to visit your facility upon request sometime in 2005. Click here to log on
to the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange website for more information. Tours
to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Yonkers- MRF tours are free of
charge and given on an appointment basis. The
tour educates participants about the recycling process.
Groups are taken to the observation tower and shown the machinery, which
is used to separate, sort and prepare materials to be sold to vendors who then
recycle the collected materials. From
that tower, viewers can also see the tipping floor, where truckloads of
recyclables are delivered and dropped off.
A brief presentation and educational video is shown to explain the
purpose and benefits of recycling. Tours
can be given to students of all age groups, Monday Through Friday and typically
last between 45 minutes and 1 hour. The MRF is located in Yonkers; Exit 6A / Stew Leonard Drive off of Interstate 87, just opposite Home Depot and Stew Leonard’s. Multi-Family Dwelling Recycling: Every apartment house has its
own unique problems with implementing and maintaining a recycling program. The
Multi-Family Dwelling Program is designed to assist apartment building managers, owners
and residents comply with recycling laws. The county Recycling Office provides
technical assistance and educational signs and brochures explaining the do's and don'ts of
recycling in English and
Spanish. Business Recycling: Businesses and office buildings are required by law (Source Separation Law) to have an on-site recycling program. The Recycling Office provides technical assistance, including tours of County buildings that have effective recycling programs, and educational materials to help set up a program and promote recycling to employees. Owners of buildings containing more than 100 employees, patients or students during a 24-hour period should have a Nonresidential Waste Generator Plan on file with the Commissioner of Environmental Facilities. The Nonresidential Waste Generator Plan form is now available on line. Also available on line is the Solid Waste Hauler's Annual Report Form. Any municipality which collects recyclables must provide to the County an Municipal Annual Report. For more information contact the Recycling Help Line.
Freon Stickers: The Clean Air Act prohibits venting ozone depleting compounds into the atmosphere. Freon, which is one of these compounds and is used as a refrigerant in air conditioners and refrigerators, must be removed from these items prior to disposal. The county Recycling Office provides numbered stickers to vendors who extract freon. These stickers are affixed to appliances once the freon has been removed. Municipalities are then able to pick them up at the curb for proper disposal. The Recycling Office maintains lists of vendors who extract freon, companies that sell freon recovery equipment and training centers that teach refrigerant extraction techniques. County residents should contact their Municipal Recycling Official for information on recycling of bulk metals or the county Recycling Help Line Enforcement: Recycling is not an option - it's the law. The Source Separation Law sets the parameters for recycling in Westchester. Enforcement is conducted through a multi-step program ranging from warnings (following inspections) to violation notices and ultimately to fines. Residents, businesses, municipalities, schools and institutions are all subject to possible penalties for non-compliance. Private companies that collect solid waste and recycleables are required to be licensed to operate in Westchester. The licensing program is managed by the Westchester County Solid Waste Commission. Compost Equipment Circulation: This program received the 1996 Governor's Award for Waste Reduction and Recycling. Under the program, County-owned specialized composting equipment is circulated to municipalities to assist in the management of their organic waste such as leaves and grass clippings. This equipment speeds up the composting process, reduces the amount of land necessary for composting and produces a higher quality end-product than would normally be obtained using traditional methods. Most municipalities would not be able to individually justify the purchase of this type of equipment. Public Information and Education: The Recycling Office has extensive public information and education programs. In addition to promotional materials their activities include: a Speakers Bureau, tours of the county's recycling and refuse facilities, press releases, advertisements in appropriate publications, displays and exhibits at various events such as school environmental fairs. Recycling
Seminars and Office Topics Solid Waste Management Educational Materials
"Focus Recycling"- a periodic county-wide newsletter on the
latest recycling and reduction information and related topics
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