Keep the Earth in Mind on Earth Day!
(Brown County, WI) Brown County Resource Recovery is asking residents to “know before they throw” and keep recycling top of mind this Earth Day.
“This is the 47th Earth Day, which is a great time to do something good for the planet,” said Mark Walter, business development manager with Resource Recovery. “It’s also a great time to remind people in Brown County about how far we have come with recycling options while providing an opportunity to educate our residents about the resources available to them.”
One of the best resources for residents is the free Northeast Wisconsin Recycling Guide which will be included in the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Appleton Post-Crescent and Oshkosh Northwestern on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. A digital copy of the guide can be downloaded at www.BrownCountyRecycling.org beginning Monday, April 24. “The guide is a great resource to keep going back to during the year,” Walter said. “It provides information on common questions like medication disposal, how to compost, household recycling and more.” This year, the Green Bay School District will provide every 4K through 5th grader a booklet to take home!
Walter says there are other county resources that residents should remember to use:
Hazardous Material Recovery (HMR) Facility: The Hazardous Material Recovery (HMR) Facility has a new name! The name change reflects efforts to recover and recycle more material from the waste stream. The facility accepts items including unwanted paint and stains, cleaning supplies, pool chemicals, pesticides, solvents, electronics, VHS tapes, fluorescent bulbs, antifreeze, etc.
What you should know: There is a small fee to dispose of many items. Be sure to check www.BrownCountyRecycling.org for drop-off hours and fees.
Food Waste & Organics Drop-off Program: Residents collect food waste like bones and meat scraps, fruit and vegetable scraps, food contaminated paper products like napkins, pizza boxes and paper plates, egg shells and dairy products. Collected food is dropped off at one of three locations and is sent on to be composted.
What you should know: The program is free, but registration is required to participate. Food waste can be collected in compostable bags which can be purchased at several area retailers or online.
Recycle: Did you know that the county has expanded what can go in your curbside recycling bin? Residents can now recycle deli, produce and bakery containers, cartons and dairy containers in addition to what already goes in the bin.
What you should know: Although items like plastic bags, aluminum pie tins and tissue paper can’t go into regular curbside recycling, that doesn’t mean those items can’t be recycled. A quick online search should provide you with several options.
“Making just small changes can have a big impact,” Walter said. “Use Earth Day as a starting point and build from there.”
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