First came the teaser: a sign on the recycling wall area that said “Remodeling this area — new product coming soon.” The RDF didn’t make us wait long. The new product being accepted for recycling is, wait for it, Rigid Plastics. According to RDF Superintendent Jeff Azano-Brown, “The Rigid Plastics will get turned into other plastic products (just like the other plastics we recycle). Last year we collected about 60 tons and we’re hoping that with the promotion of the new area that we will generate more. The town will generate revenue for them; in today’s market and last year’s tonnage that would be about $7,000 per year (and another $5,000 in avoided landfill costs). It was hard to carve out space because we’re limited on the recycling wall. We sacrificed one of our newspaper collection areas that didn’t see a lot of activity. We still encourage residents to recycle newspaper because it’s one of our most voluminous and profitable products.”

Here’s what qualifies for the Rigid Plastics area;

5 gallon buckets
Plastic playhouses
Children’s toys
Kiddie pools
Storage containers
Laundry baskets

This isn’t to say that any of the Rigid Plastic items listed above are now being refused by the Give and Take area. If there’s a hole in the bucket, dear Eliza, dear Eliza, drop it off at Rigid Plastics. But if the kiddie pool still holds water, Reusables is the place for it.

Here’s what you might be tempted to toss in there, but that does not qualify:

Motorized toys
Vacuum cleaners
Rubber hoses
Basketballs
Chemical containers
Tarps
Oil and fuel containers

Here’s what you might be tempted to toss in there, but should be recycled elsewhere:

Plastic bottles
Plastic food containers
Electronics

And of course, keep it tidy by removing dirt and metal parts such as handles and axels. And do so with good cheer. Remember the unofficial dump motto: