Town gets review of recycling list

One of the founders of the  Town of Belgium’s garbage and recycling contractor reminded residents of what can and cannot be recycled at Monday’s Town Board meeting.

Mike Thun of Harter’s Lakeside Disposal said if items that can’t be recycled are placed in recycling bins, the entire load gets taken to a landfill, not just those items.

Among items that cannot be recycled are:

• Plastic bags — In the past, people used blue bags to signify items to be recycled, but those bags got emptied, Thun said. Today, items are put into different bins. Plastic bags, he said, wrap around screens and jam up the system.

• Jars with food inside — “Everything must be rinsed. There shouldn’t be any food in it,” Thun said.

• Cardboard with grease, (i.e. from pizza) — Portions of the clean cardboard may be recycled but not sections with grease.

• Rolls of plastic sheets or Styrofoam.

• Metal rakes — they need to be placed in a metals bin, Thun said.

• Hoses  — “They’re a giant tangler,” Thun said.

• Light bulbs — Residents may recycle light bulbs but not businesses, Thun said.

• Planting pots and round pots with dirt — They must be cleaned of any dirt before being recycled, Thun said.

Complete information on what can and cannot be recycled will be put on the town’s website.