(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in a series of recycling tips from the City of Covington's Neighborhood Services Department, Solid Waste & Recycling Division.)
COVINGTON, Ky. -- Summer = swimming, gardening, backyard cookouts, and outdoor fun. With the season now officially half over (this week, we think), we bet that you like us were wondering how to limit the negative impact of that “fun” on landfills.
Here’s a cheat sheet:
- Bottles/cans: Whether your beverage of choice is a hard cider or an Ale-8-One ginger and citrus, you can and should recycle.
- Bottle caps: Can’t be recycled in the City cart because of their size (they fall through the machinery), but metals recyclers like Can Dew Recycling in The Cov do accept them.
- Plastic six-pack holders (the “flat,” rigid kind): Cannot be recycled in the City cart, but many breweries’ tasting rooms – including Braxton Brewing – accept them. See HERE for other locations. We’ve seen collection containers at some restaurants, too.
- Sunscreen bottles/tubes: Yes on bottles, no on tubes. But clean them.
- Bug spray bottles: Plastic ones can be recycled, but remove the nozzle. Aerosol cans can be recycled, but they have to be completely empty and the caps removed.
- Pool “noodles”: Cannot be recycled, even at our local foam plastic recycler, Eco Development in Mason, Ohio.
- Pool chemical buckets: A hard “no” because of the chemical residue.
- Pool/beach toys: Things like water wings, beach balls, floating lounge chairs and sand buckets cannot be recycled, even if made of plastic. But if they’re gently used, you should donate to a local thrift store.
- Bubbles: Rinse and recycle the container but throw away the stick/wand.
- Plastic flower pots: Nix on the recycling, but perhaps “yes” on the reusing i.e. use them to plant starter seeds next year, or call your local nursery to see if they accept them, or ask around on social media to find a green thumb extraordinaire who starts their own seeds.
- Grill tanks: NO NO NO NO. Do not put in either your recycling or waste cart.
- Yard trimmings (grass, leaves, limbs, weeds): You can put these in your City waste cart or tie up a small bundle of branches, but the better option is to take them to the Covington/Rumpke Transfer Station, either using the new voucher program or not, to be composted.
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