Politics & Government

Facts about 'Recycle Together RI'

With today's ceremonial opening of the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation's renovated Material Recycling Facility, there's a new way to recycle in Rhode Island.

 

This morning, Gov. Lincoln Chafee and a group of state and local officials are scheduled to (MRF) on the grounds of the at the Central Landfill in Johnston.

The event formally kicks off the new "Recycle Together RI" program, which will allow Johnston residents to combine recyclables in the bins they already have, instead of separating the paper from plastic.

Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But there's more to the new system than just being able to throw milk jugs in with old newspapers — according to the RIRRC's new website about the program, residents can now recycle more kinds of plastic containers and paper, including:

  • jars from mayo, peanut butter, jelly  
  • tubs from butter, ice cream, margarine  
  • plastic take-out containers  
  • iced coffee cups  
  • yogurt containers  
  • plastic egg cartons
  • wrapping and tissue paper

Some of the items that cannot be recycled include:

Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Scrap metal, like pots, pans, hangers, wires, appliances, chains, cables, nuts, bolts;
  • Plastic shopping bags — RIRRC instructs residents to return the bags to stores, and don't pack recyclables in bags;
  • Refrigerated and frozen food boxes, like boxes from butter, pizza, beer, soda, TV dinners;
  • Containers larger than 2 gallons and non-container plastic, like toys;
  • Hybrid packaging (metal/paper/plastic mix), like oatmeal and chip canisters, K‐cups;
  • Greasy pizza boxes;
  • Clothing and textiles;
  • Chip bags and candy wrappers;
  • Styrofoam;
  • Lightbulbs and household hazardous waste
  • Sharps (used medical syringes).

The attached .pdf provides guidelines for how to dispose of these kinds of materials.

For more information, visit the RIRRC's Recycle Together RI website, call (401) 942-1430, or submit a question via their contact page.


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