Effective May 1st, residents of Wethersfield and other towns whose recyclables go to the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority's Mid-Connecticut Project will be able to recycle all plastic food and beverage containers, not just those made from No. 1 and No. 2 plastics.
Two recent developments made this expansion of CRRA's recycling program possible:
- CRRA and the operator of its Mid-Connecticut Project recycling facility identified buyers willing to commit to long-term agreements to purchase these new plastics.
- CRRA invested in the new equipment needed to sort and manage the new materials.
"For years, people have wanted us to take all their plastic containers, not just the ones and twos," said Thomas D. Kirk, CRRA president. "We're excited to grant their wishes." A list of the additional items the Mid-Connecticut Project will now accept reads almost like a grocery shopping list: ketchup bottles, plastic ice cream containers, yogurt cups, margarine tubs and lids, sour cream tubs - just about anything that contained food or beverages and is made of plastic.
There will still be some notable unacceptable items:
- foam plastics, such as Styrofoam and polystyrene foam;
- plastic film, including food wrap, sandwich bags, dry-cleaning bags, trash bags and shopping bags;
- any jug or bottle that held motor oil, paint, anti-freeze, fertilizers, insecticides; and
- plant and seedling pots and trays.
CRRA's web site provides a complete guide to recycling at http://www.crra.org/pages/recycle.htm.