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I made a few trips to the Recycling Station on Devil’s Dive Road this week (a.k.a. “The Dump” for us OMP oldsters), and each time, the bins were overflowing, with lots of items left on the ground beside the bin. I am, by no means, a recycling expert, but I could tell at first glance that some of the stuff sitting there was not recyclable.
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Apparently, it’s a widespread issue, because Grand Traverse County RecycleSmart sent along a press release this week with a stern warning for people who violate the rules…
“Illegal Dumping in Grand Traverse County will not be tolerated. If you are going to use any of the Single Stream Recycling Sites provided by GFL/American Waste, you must follow the rules. It is very simple. Only the items listed on the bins, can be placed in the bins. If the bins are full, you’ll either need to use another site, or come back after they have been emptied. No items can be left on the ground. Please follow the rules so we can keep these assets to our community in place.”
It’s a minimum fine of $500 for dumping unlisted items. Here’s a couple pics of what the station looked like this week…
According to the RecycleSmart website, here is a list of what can be recycled. It’s very specific, and easy to throw things that we *think are recyclable – like pizza boxes and paper plates – but really aren’t, into the bin.
Glass (All Colors Accepted)
- Jars
- Wine bottles
NOT accepted: Light bulbs, mirrors, TVs, computers, monitors, windows
Metal
- Cans
- Empty aerosol cans
- Foil
- Trays
NOT accepted: Car parts
Paper
- Cartons (food and beverage)
- Boxboard (cereal boxes, shoe boxes)
- Cardboard
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Office paper
- Phone books
- Unwanted mail
NOT accepted: paper plates, pizza boxes, napkins, toilet paper, tissue paper
Plastic #1 – #7
- Detergent bottles
- Milk jugs
- Shampoo bottles
- Water bottles
NOT accepted: Garden hoses, lawn furniture, garden plastics
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