#RecycleRightNY Campaign Materials

May is dedicated to educating the public about how to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle During Spring Cleaning. To spread the message, please use the resources below (Facebook/ Instagram posts, Twitter tweets, newsletter article and other resources) through the month of May via your social media platforms, newsletters, etc. Modify the order for the month as necessary to fit your needs. For more content visit the Recycle Right NY webpage. 

High resolution images formatted for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and newsletters can be downloaded by going to NYDEC's Recycle Right NY Flickr album. For instructions, scroll down to the heading "Free images" below. To download any images from the body of this email, right click the image and then choose "Save As".

New Extra Content on COVID-19 This Month in Addition to General Reminders Regarding Essential Services

During the COVID-19 response, recycling operations (including redemption of containers through the bottle bill) are considered essential services. For detailed information and social media about COVID-19 and recycling/ waste management services see the “Extras” section of these resources. New content includes thanking essential workers, proper disposal of masks and gloves and more.

During this time of uncertainty, please follow all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and your state and local government officials as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve.

Week 1 Campaign Materials 

Facebook/ Instagram: Please be aware - with more people at home during the #Covid19 response, more residential waste is being generated, putting strain on some waste and recycling collection programs. You are encouraged to hold off on any large spring cleaning projects or to focus on small home organizing projects with cleanouts in stages. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19 #NYonPause

Twitter: More people at home = more residential waste. Holding off on large spring cleanouts can help reduce strain on waste and recycling collection programs #RecycleRightNY #Covid19 #NYonPause

Facebook/ Instagram/Twitter: #RecycleRightNY Tip: Doing some cleaning, wiping, and dusting? Remember - cardboard paper towel tubes are recyclable, but soiled paper towels, wipes, and napkins belong in the trash!

Week 2 Campaign Materials

Facebook/ Instagram: #RecycleRightNY Tip: Doing some spring cleaning while stuck inside? Respect your sanitation workers and make their job easier on them! At the curb - don't overfill trash cans, leave excessive amounts of trash, or leave bulky items unless your hauler has a special bulky item pickup. At the transfer station - reducing your waste will also help reduce your trips - and ask about disposing of bulky items properly. Only put items accepted in your local program in your home recycling bin. #NYonPause

Twitter: #RecycleRightNY Tip: Doing some spring cleaning while stuck inside? Respect and help protect our sanitation workers by first checking with your waste hauler or municipality on what to do with bulky items.

Facebook / Instagram: Please be aware - with more people at home during the #Covid19 response, more residential waste is being generated, putting strain on some waste and recycling collection programs. You are encouraged to hold off on any large spring cleaning projects or do smaller cleanouts at a time. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19 #NYonPause

Twitter: With more people at home during the #Covid19 response, more residential waste is being generated. You are encouraged to hold off on any large spring cleaning projects or do smaller cleanouts at a time. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19 #NYonPause

Week 3 Campaign Materials

Facebook / Instagram/Twitter: #RecycleRightNY Fact: Recycling facility operators call hoses “tanglers.” This is because they twist up in the sorting equipment causing dangerous and costly jams. When testing out that old hose this spring remember - hoses do not belong in your home recycling bin.

Facebook / Instagram/ Twitter: Have broken or well used garden tools ? Ask your local transfer station if any are appropriate for their scrap metal bin. Never put old garden tools in your home recycling bin. #RecycleRightNY

Facebook/ Instagram: Discovering broken items while spring cleaning? Think before you throw. Learning to repair an item can be a fun learning activity for yourself and your family while saving money and keeping valuable materials out of the landfill. Never put broken household items in your home recycling bin. For repair how-to visit https://www.ifixit.com #RecycleRightNY #FixAtHome

Twitter: Discovering beloved but broken items while spring cleaning? Don’t despair, repair! Learning how to repair something teaches a skill and saves money. For repair how-to visit https://www.ifixit.com #RecycleRightNY #FixAtHome

Week 4 Campaign Materials 

Facebook / Instagram: Do you have bulky items to throw away that are too large to fit in a trash bag? Please respect your trash and recycling collectors by contacting your hauler, municipality, or local transfer station to find out how to properly dispose of these items. Never leave bulky items at the curb unless you have a special bulky item pickup and never dump bulky waste items as litter. #SpringCleaning

Twitter: Do you have bulky items to throw away that are too large to fit in a trash bag? Please respect your trash and recycling collectors by contacting your hauler, municipality, or local transfer station to find out how to properly dispose of these items. #SpringCleaning

Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter: #RecycleRightNY Tip: Spring Cleaning? Remember - electronics, batteries, and household appliances do not belong in your home recycling bin - these items can cause fires at recycling facilities and endanger workers.

Week 5 Campaign Materials 

Facebook / Instagram: Spring cleaning? Remember- textiles like clothing, towels, sheets, and blankets do not belong in your home recycling bin with plastic, metal, glass and paper. Textiles are recyclable but need their own special recycling programs. Consider setting textiles aside for when donation and recycling programs are more available again. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19

Twitter: Spring cleaning? Textiles (towels, sheets, blankets, clothing) are recyclable, just not in your home recycling bin. Consider setting textiles aside for when donation and textiles recycling programs are more available again. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19

Facebook/Instagram/ Twitter: #RecycleRightNYTip: Before you start spring cleaning - contact your hauler or municipality to learn what can go in your home recycling bin and ask how to handle any larger bulky items that are trash.

May Newsletter/Newspaper Article

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle While You Spring Clean

It’s time for some Spring cleaning! But before you start throwing everything into trash bags, it’s important to remember that everything we own requires natural resources to produce, and many of the things we might consider trash can be reused, repaired and recycled. While it can be tempting just to get items into trash bags as quick as possible, reducing the amount of waste you create while spring cleaning can be very rewarding.

Are You Recycling Right?

Throwing as much as you possibly can into your home recycling bin because it contains any plastic, metal, glass or paper might make you feel good in the moment, but did you know this does not benefit your local recycling program? Contrary to popular belief, your recycling mistakes won’t always be figured out for you later, and when good recyclables are mixed with contamination, it makes it harder to turn them into new products. Your recycling mistakes can even create dangerous working situations at recycling facilities that pose serious consequences to real people with families who work in recycling facilities, sorting these materials and running equipment.

Tips to Recycle Right While You Spring Clean

• You don’t have to be an expert to recycle right. Before you start, contact your hauler, recycling coordinator or transfer station with questions you have about certain items. They can also provide you with a list of what is accepted and not accepted in your home recycling bin. No more guessing!
• Respect your sanitation workers and waste collectors: One of the best ways to say thank you is to follow the recycling rules in your area.
• Some items are recyclable but require special drop-off programs with different systems to recycle them and will not be recycled if placed in your home recycling bin. Some of these items include electronics, rechargeable batteries, textiles, and film plastics like plastic bags.
• Don’t bag recyclables unless in the rare case your instructions tell you to do so. Most of us should be putting recyclables into containers loose. In fact, improperly bagged recyclables can end up in the landfill because it’s considered a hazard since workers can’t see what’s inside the bag.
• Cardboard paper towel tubes are recyclable, but soiled paper towels, wipes, and napkins belong in the trash.
• If you have bulky household items they should not go in your home recycling bin. If you have curbside recycling do not leave these items at the curb unless you have a special bulk items pickup and NEVER illegally dump these items somewhere. Your hauler, recycling coordinator or municipality can help you dispose of these items properly.
• No cords, wires, light strands, rope or other tanglers that jam recycling equipment.

Reuse and Repair

As you’re cleaning and organizing, if you come across something broken or worn consider reusing or repairing it instead of trashing it. Reuse and repair help reduce waste, conserve natural resources, and fight climate change. Who knew you could do all of that with a simple fix? Don’t consider yourself handy? There are plenty of resources available to learn and many repairs are easier than you might think. If you need help, set the item aside to visit a Repair Café once they re-open after the COVID-19 response.

How to Help During COVID-19

Less is more - Please be aware - that with more people at home during the #Covid19 response, more residential waste is being generated, putting strain on some waste and recycling collection programs. Litter of disposable masks and gloves is also becoming a problem. Here’s how you can help:

• Clean in stages. You are encouraged to hold off on any large spring cleaning projects or focus on home organizing and doing smaller cleanouts in stages.
• Masks and gloves belong in the trash, not the recycling bin. Wear a mask and gloves while you were running a couple of errands? Please don’t litter these items. You can also help keep sanitation workers and waste collectors safe by making sure these items go in the trash and not your recycling bin. Carry a small baggy or container with you when running essential errands that you can put used gloves or masks into if there is no trash can around, and dispose of the used items properly later.
• Thank your essential sanitation workers who are your trash, recycling, and compost haulers, transfer station operators, recycling coordinators, and other sanitation workers when you can by waving, leaving a note at the curb, calling or sending an email.
• Receiving more packages to the door? Make sure to collapse your cardboard boxes to save space at home and in collection vehicles.
• Set it aside. New York residents are being encouraged to reduce non-essential trips out. Some retail stores, drop-off locations, or donation centers may also not be open or accepting items right now and many Household Hazardous Waste(HHW) events have also been canceled until further notice. If you come across items for drop-off, donation, or that are HHW, set them aside until programs are more available.

Extras

Facebook/Instagram: If you’re receiving more deliveries than usual and are excited for your recycling pickup day, we hear you! Empty your boxes and flatten those that are clean and dry before they head for your recycling bin. Help reduce litter at the curb by making sure your recyclables are contained.

Facebook/ Instagram: Looking for a fun K-12 activity? All New York State public and private school children and youth organizations are invited to showcase their artistic talent and their commitment to the environment by participating in the 18th Annual New York Recycles! poster contest. Submission can be mailed or sent electronically. For more information visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/education/32506.html

Facebook/ Instagram: Protect lives and property! Open burning of household trash is prohibited by law in NY state. Why? Burning trash releases dangerous compounds including arsenic, carbon monoxide, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, lead, hydrogen cyanide and dioxin, among others. A statewide burn ban for organic materials is in effect from March 16th- May 14th to prevent pollution and wildfires. For more information visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/58519.html

COVID-19 Response Resources

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) have both issued guidance associated COVID-19 and waste management.

Waste and Recyclables Essential Services Statement

As identified in the Guidance on Executive Order 202.6, essential business or entities in NY that are not required to reduce in-person workforce by 100% include “trash and recycling collection, processing and disposal services.” The exclusion includes collection, transportation, processing and disposal activities for any solid wastes, regulated medical waste, hazardous wastes, radioactive wastes and other associated waste categories. This also includes all recyclables including redemption of bottle bill containers. Currently, there is no evidence that suggests managing residential wastes or recyclables represents a danger to the general public. For questions please e-mail the DEC at dmm@dec.ny.gov.

COVID-19 and Bottle Bill Beverage Container Redemption

DEC recognizes that unintended consequences of the COVID-19 response may make full compliance with requirements challenging for certain facilities and result in temporary disruptions to required redemption operations. While continuing the redemption of containers is considered an essential service and is expected to continue, DEC will not actively enforce violations at facilities unable to fulfill redemption operations due to resource restrictions during the ongoing COVID-19 response efforts. Please contact the Department with any questions at nybottle@dec.ny.gov.

*Check your programs locally as this is an evolving situation.

COVID19 and Recycling Social Media 

New Content!

Facebook/ Instagram/Twitter: Thank you to all essential workers who work in waste and recycling. Whether at the curb or local transfer station, to our janitors maintaining buildings, and waste and recycling facility workers- we want to thank you for your service. #RecycleRightNY #ThankYouRecyclingHeroes

Facebook/ Instagram: In some locations, essential sanitation workers are in need of masks to keep themselves safe. If you are making masks or can donate masks, consider reaching out to your municipality with your interest in donating masks to workers who collect your trash and recycling or sort recyclables at recycling facilities. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19 #ThankYouRecyclingHeros

Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter: #RecycleRightNY Tip - disposable masks and gloves do not belong in your home recycling bin and will cause problems at recycling facilities. Properly dispose of these items in the trash. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19

Facebook/ Instagram: Disposable masks and gloves are becoming a litter problem in our communities and in the environment. If you are using masks or gloves, please be sure they are disposed of properly in a trash container to protect your neighbors and the environment. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19

Twitter: If you are using masks or gloves, please be sure they are disposed of properly in a trash container to protect your neighbors and the environment. #RecycleRightNY #Covid19

Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter: Take a small bag or container with you on-the-go that you can put used gloves and masks in if there’s no trash can nearby. Then you can put the used items in the trash later. Keep our communities safe and protect the environment by not littering these items.

Facebook/Instagram: Has your next local Household Hazardous Waste collection event been canceled? Take stock of what you have, store it safely and properly, and wait until the next available event. When handled improperly, HHW can be harmful to your health, the environment and public health. You can also reduce your household hazardous waste by choosing safer alternatives to chemicals.

Facebook/ Instagram: Spring cleaning? Due to #Covid19 more of us are at home and generating more waste there, putting strain on our residential waste collection programs. Please help your local sanitation workers by doing smaller spring cleaning jobs.

Facebook/ Instagram: Pack and set aside any useful items you want to donate. While many goodwill and other donation centers are closed, these items will be of value to area nonprofits once the pandemic ends. So instead of sending them to the landfill, please consider locating a clean, dry space to store these in your home, attic, or garage.

Facebook/ Instagram: #RecycleRightNY Tip - During the #Covid19 response, curbside pickup services for large, bulky trash items may be reduced. Contact your hauler or municipal transfer station for updated information.

General Covid19 Reminders Social Media

Facebook/Instagram: New York- Keep Calm and Recycle on. Recycling is an essential public service. Contact your local recycling programs and redemption centers for guidance as the situation with COVID19 continues to evolve. #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Twitter: New York- Keep Calm and Recycle on. Recycling is an essential public service. Contact your local recycling programs and redemption centers for guidance as the situation with COVID19 continues to evolve. #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Facebook/Instagram: Redemption of containers through the bottle bill are considered essential services, however the COVID-19 response may result in temporary disruptions to redemption operations. Due to resource restrictions during the ongoing COVID-19 response efforts some retailers and redemption centers may be unable to fulfill redemption operations. Contact your redemption center location for updates and details. #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Twitter: Recycling is essential. But due to resource restrictions and disruptions during COVID19 response, some retailers and redemption centers may be unable to fulfill redemption operations. Contact your redemption center location for updates. #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Facebook/Instagram: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and other organizations have issued guidance associated with COVID19 and waste management to keep their workers and our communities safe. #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Twitter: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) have issued guidance associated with the COVID19 and waste management to keep their workers and our communities safe. #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Facebook/Instagram: In need of an indoor activity? Why not learn about how you or your family can recycle right! For tips visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/116113.html #RecycleRightNY

Twitter: In need of an indoor activity? Why not learn about how you or your family can recycle right! For tips visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/116113.html #RecycleRightNY

Facebook/Instagram: Need some teaching activities for K-3 and grades 4-5? Check out these free activities and coloring page from the Recycling Partnership: https://recyclingpartnership.org/blog-recycling-curriculum-grades-k-3/ #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Twitter: Need some teaching activities for K-3 and grades 4-5? Check out these free activities and coloring page from the Recycling Partnership: https://recyclingpartnership.org/blog-recycling-curriculum-grades-k-3/ #RecycleRightNY #COVID19

Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: Got recyclables like textiles, rechargeable batteries, or film plastic that require special drop-off programs? Consider collecting them and setting them aside to reduce trips from home. #NYonPause #COVID19 #RecycleRightNY

*Please remember to follow the CDC's Guidelines. If you are sick, stay home. 

Other Resources

The Growing PPE Litter Problem

Northeast Resource Recovery Association

• Coronavirus Resource Page- Support for Municipalities
• School Recycling Club Learning Tools

Monroe County Free Recycling Coloring Book

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Waste Management Q&A’s
Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Guidance on COVID-19
NYS Department of Health Reusable Bag Guidelines

The Recycling Partnership

• Spring Cleaning- What to Know Before You Start
• Keep Recycling Coloring Sheet
• Thank a Recycling Collector Coloring Sheet
• Recycling While Social Distancing – How to Commit to Sustainability at Home
• K-3 and grades 4-5 Teaching Activities about Recycling
  
  • Free teaching activities and coloring book page
• Free Downloadable Resources to help your community Recycle Right

NYSDEC

• NYSDEC Covid-19 and Bottle Bill Beverage Container Redemption
  
• NYSDEC Waste Management and COVID-19
• Local Recycling Coordinator Contacts
• Caregiver, Parent and Educator Resources While At Home
• The Virtual River- from the Hudson River Estuary Program
• Quick Family Activities
• Environmental Education Lesson Plans

Free Images

Free high resolution images formatted for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and newsletters can be downloaded by going to NYDEC's Recycle Right NY Flickr album. *

Images may not be available right away. If you do not see images for the item of the month we recommend waiting a day or two and then checking the Flickr album again for updates.  

Directions to download from Flickr: Click the link to open the Flickr album. Scroll to the image you want and left click on it. The image will now be brought up on the screen by itself. In the far right bottom corner there will be a downward facing arrow with a line under it. Left click on it and choose, Original (1024x512) as the option. It will automatically download.  If you need assistance please e-mail us at recycling@dec.ny.gov.

* If you are experiencing technical difficulties downloading the images from Flickr, please open the Flickr link in a different web browser such as Chrome or Firefox.