Can you recycle that in Dutchess?

Can you recycle plastic bags in Dutchess County? Styrofoam? Plastic straws? Flower pots? Plastic toys? Coffee pods? Broken glass? Yard debris? Pizza boxes?

The answer to all of the above is: No
… except pizza boxes may be accepted by your sanitation service or local transfer station.

What can be recycled in Dutchess County?

All paper and cardboard - Newspaper, magazines (including glossy coated and inserts) cereal boxes, junk mail, telephone books, paper towel rolls, cartons, and more can be recycled.
Glass bottles, tin and aluminum - Glass food and beverage containers, soda cans, metal jar lids, foil, and more can be recycled.
All plastics, including CDs and CD cases, except foam (Stryofoam) and plastic bags. Plastic bags should NOT be put in the recycle bin, but recycled at a local retailer’s collection bin.

Why is it important to place the correct items in the recycling bin? Not only are those items just not recyclable, it slows down the recycling process and can damage the sorting machines. According to the county, when your solid waste hauler takes your recycling, it is brought to a materials recovery facility. Once there the materials are sorted by hand and machinery. Items such as plastic bags or electronic wires can damage the machines causing the whole process to shut down.

Learn more about what you can and can’t recycle in Dutchess County with the county’s new Recycling Encyclopedia (oooh, ahhh): LINK