#RecycleRightNY Campaign Materials

With hurricane season upon us, September is dedicated to educating the public about recycling right and managing storm debris in the event of a natural disaster in NYS. To spread the message, please use the resources below (Facebook / Instagram posts, Twitter tweets, newsletter article and other resources) through the month of September 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".

Week 1 Campaign Materials (Be Prepared, Create a Plan, and Know Where to Look)

Facebook/Instagram:  Heavy rains and winds from tropical storms and hurricanes can cause flooding, property damage and power outages in NYS communities. It is helpful to understand how materials management is handled in your community. Your recycling and trash pickup schedule may change to protect the safety of workers out in the field. Check with your municipality or hauling company to learn about their disaster debris management plan and any weather-related changes in service. #RecycleRightNY

Twitter: With hurricane season upon us, it is important to be prepared with a plan to keep yourself and your family safe. Check with your municipality or hauling company to learn about their disaster debris management plan and any weather-related changes in service. #RRNY

Week 2 Campaign Materials (Avoid Getting Carried Away in the Wind)

Facebook/Instagram: In the event of a severe storm or natural disaster, do not put out recyclables when wind speeds are high to avoid materials blowing out of the bin and into the street, especially if your bin does not have a lid. Check with your local recycling facility to see if they can provide a lid to your recycling receptacle. Also, keep wet paper and cardboard out of your recycling bin and be sure to empty beverage and water bottles before recycling.

Twitter: In the event of a severe storm or natural disaster, do not put out recyclables when wind speeds are high to avoid materials blowing out of the bin and into the street. Check with your local recycling facility to see if they can provide a lid to your recycling receptacle. #RRNY

Week 3 Campaign Materials (Be Sustainable With Debris)

Facebook/Instagram: After a storm, an increase in yard debris (such as tree limbs) and construction/demolition debris is common. Do not include these materials in your curbside recycling bin and look for sustainable options for managing these materials instead. Find out if your municipality, tree removal or landscaping company takes their chipped wood or yard debris to a compost facility. There are also a limited number of construction/demolition recycling facilities in NYS. Check with your service provider to see if that is an option for you. #RecycleRightNY

Twitter: Never include yard or construction/demolition debris in your curbside recycling. Look for sustainable options for managing these materials instead. Find out if your municipality, tree removal or landscaping company uses a compost facility for managing these materials.

Week 4 Campaign Materials (Handling Hazards)

Facebook/Instagram: In the event of a flood, separate hazardous from non-hazardous materials. Keep items such as damaged electronics, household cleaning products, paint, batteries, vehicular fluids, gasoline, antifreeze, and garden chemicals separate from regular trash and recycling. Contact your municipality to learn what to do with hazardous items since they may require special handling.

Twitter: During a natural disaster, separate hazardous from non-hazardous materials. Keep items such as damaged electronics, cleaning products, paint, batteries, vehicular fluids, and garden chemicals separate. Contact your municipality to learn how they handle hazardous materials. #RRNY

September Newsletter/Newspaper Article

Be Prepared to Recycle Right After the Storm

Heavy rains and winds from tropical storms and hurricanes can cause flooding, property damage and power outages in NYS communities. Be prepared with a plan to keep yourself and your family safe and when the storm has passed, use these tips to recycle right and manage other storm debris.

In the event of a severe storm or natural disaster:

• Your recycling pickup schedule may change to protect the safety of recycling workers out in the field. Check with your municipality or hauling company to learn about their disaster debris management plan and any weather-related changes in service.
• Do not put out recyclables when wind speeds are high to avoid materials blowing out of the bin and into the street, especially if your bin does not have a lid. Also, keep wet paper and cardboard out of your recycling bin, and empty beverage and water bottles before recycling.

After a storm:

• An increase in yard debris (such as tree limbs) and construction/demolition debris is common. Do not include these materials in your curbside recycling bin and look for sustainable options for managing these materials instead.
• Find out if your municipality, tree removal or landscaping company takes their chipped wood or yard debris to a compost facility.
• There are a limited number of construction/demolition recycling facilities in NYS. Check with your service provider to see if that is an option for you.

In the event of a flood:

• Separate hazardous from non-hazardous materials. Keep items such as damaged electronics, household cleaning products, paint, batteries, vehicular fluids, gasoline, antifreeze, and garden chemicals separate from regular trash and recycling.
• Contact your municipality to learn what to do with hazardous items since they may require special handling.

Other Resources

NYSDEC Disaster Debris and Natural Disaster Planning/ Management 

• Disaster Debris Management Planning Guide 
• What to Do After a Flood 
• Storm Debris Management Guidelines
• Drought 
• Invasive Species  
• Spills  

Upstream

• FAQ Sheet- The Safety of Reuse During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Free Social Media Toolkit- Reuse Safety during COVID-19 
• Reuse, Resilience, & COVID-19 podcast
• Reuseables Resources for COVID-19
• The Safety & Future of Reuse recorded webinar

Northeast Resource Recovery Association

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

NYS Department of Health Reusable Bag Guidelines

The Recycling Partnership

• COVID-19 Social Media Kit
• Free Downloadable Resources to help your community Recycle Right

More from NYSDEC

• Play Smart *Play Safe *Play Local
• NYSDEC Waste Management and COVID-19
• NYSDEC COVID-19 and Bottle Bill Beverage Container Redemption
• 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.