In Collegetown, winds regularly carry abandoned crushed cans and emptied plastic cups along College Ave. and surrounding streets. The containers, which are cast away carelessly, litter the neighborhood. In progressive Ithaca, littering is still a problem, and recycling protocols are not universally understood.
Tompkins County residents are required to recycle cans, cardboard, glass bottles and newspaper. The Tompkins County Solid Waste Management Division, which is responsible for Ithaca’s curbside recycling and waste disposal programs, has released a new, color-coded recycling schedule and map for Collegetown residents. Collegetown streets, from Seneca Way to Maple Ave., have been assigned colors that correspond with regular collection dates. The schedule is valid through July 2005.
According to a January 2004 report issued by Tompkins County Solid Waste Management, the county collected 23,423 tons of recyclable materials in 2002 (more than a thousand tons more recyclables than municipal solid waste).
For curbside collection, residents must have their recycling bins outside by 4 a.m. Recyclable paper has to be separate from bottles, cans, and cardboard. Additional recycling bins are available from the Tompkins County Recycling and Solid Waste Center on 122 Commercial Ave. for five dollars.
Collegetown residents who miss their scheduled, bi-weekly pickup, are urged to take their recyclables to the Recycling and Solid Waste Center. Additional information is available at the Tompkins County Solid Waste Management Division’s website, http://www.tompkins-co.org/solidwaste/main.html/.
Archived article by David Gura
Sun Staff Writer