You’ve probably heard the term single stream recycling. But what does it really mean? It refers to a collection system that mixes recyclable paper fibers and other containers, such as bottles, cans, and jars, together in the same bin. Most municipalities across the country have moved to single stream collection, which has dramatically increased the amount of recyclables collected. Unfortunately, though, not all material collected actually gets recycled. Learn more about single stream recycling in Connecticut.
STAY INFORMED
The average contamination rate is 25%, that is every 1 in 4 items! Contaminated recycled materials end up in the incinerator. The less contaminated your recycling, the more chance it has of being recycled.
Recycling Dos and Don’ts
Do make sure all items are empty, rinsed, and clean.
Do make sure bottle caps are on the bottles or take them off and place them in the trash. (All items to be recycled must be larger than two inches.)
Don’t shred, box, bag, or bundle items. That includes using plastic bags to collect and dump your recyclable materials.
Don’t put paper food take-out containers in your recycling. They can’t be recycled because they are too soiled and may be plastic-lined or compostable.
What’s In and What’s Out?
Beyond the bin: What do I do with items that can’t be included in my recycling bin?
Just because an item can’t go in your recycling bin, doesn’t mean you can’t get rid of it responsibly. Visit Recycle CT to find out what to do with everything from plastic bags to mattresses, electronics, and even hazardous waste.
What can I bring to the Westport Transfer Station?
Besides dropping off all your single stream recycling items, you can bring the following items to the Westport Transfer Station:
- Half-used paint cans
- Electronics, including televisions, DVD players, and cell phones
- Worn-out sneakers and beyond-repair clothing and other textiles
- Food scraps
- Cardboard (must be clean and broken down)
- Batteries
- Light bulbs
- Metal scrap
- Motor oil and antifreeze
What about items not included above?
- Plastic bags and wrap: Plastic bags and wrap can be recycled at Stop and Shop and Stew Leonard’s.
- Hazardous waste: Click here for a list of dates, times, and places to bring your hazardous waste, as well as a full list of what hazardous materials are accepted.
- Prescription medications: A year-round collection bin is located in the lobby of police headquarters at 50 Jesup Road. Learn more.
- Packing peanuts and bubble wrap: The UPS Store at 606 Post Road East will take these back.
- Mattresses: Learn how to dispose of a mattress in Connecticut. Additionally, Sustainable Westport, in collaboration with Earthplace, holds a bi-annual mattress recycling event.
What to know about single-use plastics
On May 7, 2019, the Town of Westport adopted a Single-Use Plastics Ordinance to help keep single-use food service containers out of our environment. Learn more about single-use plastics and their far-reaching consequences to our planet. Ready to do your part? Adopt these simple habits to help keep single-use plastics from littering land or sea.
Keep items out of the landfill and share with neighbors!
Looking to pass on a pair of shoes that don’t quite fit? Bought too much cereal at Costco that your family doesn’t like? Or maybe you’re looking for a gently used bike for your child? Share and exchange with your Westport neighbors for free. The following groups of like-minded people are making it a priority to reduce waste.
- Westport Gift Economy. This Facebook group offers a space to share, lend and receive gifts of goods, skills, time, or service.
- The Buy Nothing Project connects people through hyperlocal gifting, reducing the impact on the environment. Join the Buy Nothing Westport, CT Facebook group here.
- The Freecycle Network is a free multi-town grassroots movement all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.
Redeem your bottles and cans
Looking to save a little money? Instead of including your aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles in your single stream recycling bin, redeem them for $.5 each (will increase to $.10 in January 2024!). Return them to Stop and Shop at 1790 Post Road East, Westport, Stew Leonard’s 444 Westport Avenue, Norwalk, or a Connecticut Redemption Center.
Glass Recycling Pilot Program
We’re excited to share that in February 2022, Westport (in addition to four other neighboring towns in the Greater Bridgeport Regional Solid Waste Interlocal Committee “GBRSWIC”) launched a pilot glass recycling program! Westporters now have the opportunity to remove glass from the single stream recycling process and recycle or repurpose it in a way that reduces contamination and cuts down on CO2 emissions.
During this “soft” pilot period, all our glass will be going to a recycling facility in Beacon Falls, CT, where it is converted to a high-performance post-consumer additive that replaces fly-ash in concrete products and makes concrete more durable and retain less heat. This additive also reduces the carbon footprint of the concrete industry as fly ash is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants. Learn more about our tour of the Urban Mining Glass Recycling facility. This is a closed-loop circular economy opportunity where the raw material (glass) is sourced regionally, and the product is manufactured and ideally, utilized locally. Transportation and polluting costs are minimized.
TIP
Download the Recycle CT app! Easily search for items to see if they can be included in single stream recycling, and if not, what to do with them.
Why separate glass?
Contamination of good recyclable materials is the largest obstacle to recycling effectively.
Broken glass ruins clean paper, cardboard, and other highly recyclable materials. Glass is also taxing on recycling equipment, accelerating wear and tear on conveyor belts, screens, and other moving parts. Lastly, glass is heavy and leads to higher/increased weight and costs for recycling (paid at the municipal level).
Clean glass is also contaminated by small bits of paper, bottle caps, straws, and other metals so when glass is mixed in the single stream, it cannot be properly recycled, and it may end up/ ends up being discarded as residual waste.
By separating glass from the single stream, contamination is eliminated on both ends, making all the recyclable material more valuable.
How do I separate and recycle my glass?
Simply clean and separate (removing all lids or caps) the following types of glass from your other recyclable material and drop off at the Westport Transfer Station, 300 Sherwood Island Connector, during normal operating hours.
What types of glass are ACCEPTABLE?
- Food and condiment jars
- Beverage bottles, including wine and beer
What types of glass are NOT ACCEPTABLE?
- Lids or bottle caps
- Corks (natural corks can be put in food scraps bin)
- Mirrors
- Drinking glasses
- Ceramic
- Crystal
- Window glass
- Ovenware
- Lightbulbs
