JOHNSTON, R.I. (August 27, 2010) – Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will hold Eco-Depot and electronics recycling collections on Saturday, September 18 and Saturday, September 25. Both are scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon at the Central Landfill, 65 Shun Pike in Johnston. The household hazardous waste (HHW) and e-waste collection program is a free service for R.I. residents.

Most electronic waste – televisions, computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, laptops, CPUs, zip drives, scanners, modems, and mouse devices — cannot be placed in the trash or recycled in R.I.’s curbside program. By dropping off these materials at RIRRC, you can be assured that the equipment will be recycled properly and safely.

Eco-Depot is one of the best programs available for the proper disposal of HHW in the state. At no charge, RIRRC will accept household hazardous wastes — such as oil-based paints, propane gas tanks, fluorescent light bulbs — and safely dispose them so that they will not pose a threat to the environment. Products that have warning labels are usually classified as HHW. For a complete list of eligible materials, go to www.rirrc.org. On the site, you will be able to book an Eco-Depot appointment.

“We ask that everyone who wants to use Eco-Depot to make an appointment so that you can be in and out in several minutes,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of Rhode Island Resource Recovery. “We know that people want to finish up their weekend errands quickly and by making an appointment you can move through the Eco-Depot line posthaste.”

Appointments are not necessary for recycling e-waste.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (August 18, 2010) – The rules of recycling just got easier. Effectively immediately, Rhode Islanders can recycle plastic bottle caps. Until now, the caps needed to be discarded in the trash when recycling water bottles, ketchup bottles, laundry detergent jugs, shampoo bottles, etc. Triggers on spray bottles, such as glass cleaners, laundry stain removers, or sunblock, can also be recycled but must be left on the rinsed-out bottle and not recycled separately.
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) processes household recyclables from every Rhode Island city and town at the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Johnston. Because recycling sorting technologies have changed, MRFs no longer have to worry about sending bales full of caps to manufacturers.
“Our plastics customers no longer consider bottle caps to be “contamination,” said Sarah Kite, director of recycling services at RIRRC. “From now on, it’s OK for Rhode Islanders to keep the caps on their plastic bottles when recycling them. Besides convenience and simplicity, recycling caps adds more material to the list of what we can recycle, which is a bonus. Rinse, recap, recycle – it’s easy to remember.”
Bottle caps are made from rigid high-density polyethylene (HDPE or #2 plastic). But in the past it wasn’t the type of plastic that was a barrier to recycling it; it was the way the plastic was created. Hollow bottles are blow-molded into shape. Mixing blow-molded plastics with injection-molded plastics was a no-no.
As a reminder, the bottles should still be quickly rinsed out before being placed in the blue bin. Rinsing the bottles helps improve the value of the plastic and helps keep the MRF clean. Caps should be kept on the bottles, not left loose in the bin.
“In the near future, we plan to add all types of plastic, that is numbers 1 through 7, to the list of recyclables in Rhode Island,” said Kite. “As technologies improve, we can divert this type of waste away from burial in the Central Landfill and preserve the space for truly unrecyclable goods.”
If you have questions about how to recycle plastics, go to the RIRRC website (rirrc.org/AtoZ) for a comprehensive list or call their hotline at 941-1430 x775.
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (July 30, 2010) – The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) will collect household hazardous waste (HHW) and electronic waste on August 21 at the Central Landfill on Shun Pike, Johnston. Appointments are necessary for HHW drop-offs but not for e-waste. The collection will be held from 8:00 a.m. until noon.

Eco-Depot is a valuable HHW collection program that is free for all Rhode Island residents. Since 2001, RIRRC has collected over one-and-a-half million pounds of HHW from its frequent collections. HHW cannot be combined with regular trash or recyclables.
“Rhode Islanders take great pride in the Ocean State and care deeply about keeping our waterways clean. Using Eco-Depot is one very important act that we can all do to make sure that hazardous waste doesn’t accidentally flow into our watershed,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of RIRRC.
RIRRC accepts a wide variety of hazardous materials such as oil-based paints, propane gas tanks, fluorescent light bulbs, insecticides, and fertilizers.

Like HHW, e-waste cannot be commingled with trash. Examples include televisions, CPUs, laptops, fax machines, gaming units, and scanners.

For a complete list of eligible materials or to make a household hazardous waste appointment go to www.rirrc.org, or call 942-1430 x241.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (July 22, 2010) – Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will travel to East Providence on Saturday, August 14 to host an Eco-Depot and electronic waste recycling collection. Appointments will be needed for anyone dropping off household hazardous waste (HHW). The collection is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the DPW at 60 Commercial Way.

This is a free service for R.I. households, and appointments are not necessary for recycling e-waste (such as computers, televisions, laptops, etc.) Electronic equipment cannot be placed in the trash or recycled in blue or green bins.

RIRRC’s Eco-Depot provides Rhode Islanders with a way to safely rid their homes of hazardous waste, which may pose threats to their health as well as their pets and the environment. The most common HHW is leftover oil-based paints and thinners, automotive products such as used oil filters, brake fluid and coolant, mercury thermometers and thermostats, and unused lawn chemicals. HHW products carry warning labels because they are flammable, caustic, combustible, explosive, or corrosive. These types of products are banned from landfill disposal and should always be handled with care.

“Traditionally, East Providence has been a successful location for us when we hold collections there,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of RIRRC. “I think it shows that the community there strongly supports recycling and programs that improve the quality of the environment.”

Sign up online at www.rirrc.org or call 942-1430 x241 for your Eco-Depot appointment.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (June 24, 2010) – Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will hold a computer recycling and Eco-Depot collection for household hazardous waste on Saturday, July 17 from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at 50 Industrial Way, Tiverton. This is a free service for Rhode Island households.

RIRRC’s Eco-Depot disposes of household hazardous waste properly and safely. The most common examples of HHW are near-empty propane gas tanks, leftover oil-based paint, spent fluorescent light bulbs, old mercury thermometers, and remnant cleaners, pesticides, and fertilizers. These products typically have warning labels marked “flammable,” “combustible,” “explosive,” or “corrosive.” They are banned from landfill disposal and can pose a risk to human and animal health. Special care is needed to dispose of these items safely because they contain toxins that cannot be released into the environment. Appointments are required and will help reduce the time you spend in the drop-off line.

“We recognize that folks who live in the East Bay area may not want to drive to Johnston so we are bringing this special collection to Tiverton,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation. “We hope that the convenience of the location will draw out residents who need to get rid of their hazardous and electronic products.”

Electronics cannot be placed in the trash or recycled in R.I.’s curbside program. By dropping off old televisions, computers, monitors, printers, keyboards, laptops, CPUs, zip drives, scanners, modems, etc., you can be assured that the equipment will be recycled properly. Appointments are not necessary for recycling e-waste.

Sign up online at www.rirrc.org or call 942-1430 x241 for your Eco-Depot appointment.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (June 22, 2010) – Starting immediately, Rhode Island Resource Recovery will be accepting used cooking oil at the Central Landfill in Johnston. The service is free for Rhode Island households.
RIRRC has placed two 55-gallon drums in the small vehicle drop-off area, which is where they accept small loads of household waste, recycling, tires, appliances and motor oil.
“This is yet another material for which we offer a disposal alternative for Rhode Islanders,” said Sarah Kite, director of recycling services at RIRRC. “Instead of throwing the oil in the trash, which is messy, or pouring it down the drain, which is dreadful for plumbing, people can bring it to RIRRC for recycling.”
RIRRC is working with Newport Biodiesel, a Rhode Island company, to dispose of the oil dropped off in Johnston. The company will use the oil to produce a clean-burning and sustainable fuel from vegetable oil waste.
“This service is another good example of finding creative solutions for converting waste products into new products with new uses,” said Kite. “Here, cooking oil is prevented from hurting the environment by reusing it as an alternative fuel source that can improve our economy as well.”
Rhode Island Resource Recovery will recycle the containers used to carry the used vegetable, corn and olive oil to the landfill.
The Central Landfill is open Mondays through Fridays from 6:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to noon. For information about recycling, visit the Rhode Island Resource Recovery website at www.rirrc.org, or call 942-1430 x775.
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (June 18, 2010) – The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) is hosting a household hazardous waste (HHW) and e-waste collection on July 10. The collection will be held at the Central Landfill, 65 Shun Pike, in Johnston from 8:00 a.m. until noon.

Eco-Depot is a valuable HHW collection program that is free for all Rhode Island residents. RIRRC collects frequent collections at locations around R.I. for unwanted, unused and leftover HHW. HHW cannot be combined with regular trash or recyclables.
“This event is essential to keeping the state of Rhode Island clean and healthy for all who reside here,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of RIRRC. “We ask that all residents make an appointment to dispose of the household hazardous waste in order to make the process quicker and easier.”
RIRRC will accept a wide variety of hazardous materials such as fluorescent light bulbs, oil-based paints, insecticides, and propane gas tanks.

Appointments are necessary for all Eco-Depot drop-offs but are not required residents who are just dropping off e-waste materials. Examples of e-waste include televisions, CPUs, laptops, fax machines and scanners.

For a complete list of eligible materials or to make a household hazardous waste appointment go to www.rirrc.org, or call 942-1430 x241.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

ECO-DEPOT COLLECTION EVENT

JOHNSTON, R.I. (June 4, 2010) – Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, together with the Town of South Kingstown, will host a special household hazardous waste collection on Saturday, June 26 from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall on High Street.

This is a free service for Rhode Island households.  To reduce time spent waiting in the drop-off line, appointments for Eco-Depot are mandatory.

Eco-Depot offers Rhode Islanders the opportunity to dispose small amounts of HHW safely and properly.  Common examples of HHW are fluorescent light bulbs, gasoline, used motor oil, paint thinner, turpentine, propane gas tanks, weed killers, fertilizers, and pesticides.  Because these items contain chemicals that are harmful to humans, animals and the environment, special care is required to dispose of them safely.

“The South Kingstown Eco-Depot collection is always one of the most popular collections, and Rhode Island Resource Recovery would like to commend South County residents for their continued patronage of the program,” said Sarah Kite, director of recycling services, RIRRC. “We appreciate their efforts to keep the community and precious waterways free of pollutants.”

To make an appointment go to www.rirrc.org.  A complete list of HHW can be found on the site as well.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

JOHNSTON, R.I. (June 2, 2010) – With summer officially here, it might be time to make room on your shelves for a new book to read at the beach or for your children’s school vacation reading list. Drop off all your unwanted books at the Central Landfill in Johnston, and they will be donated to Reading Tree.
Reading Tree is a non-profit organization working to solve the issue of excess books in our nation’s landfills as well as the global issue of a lack of books in areas that desperately need them.
“While books are recyclable in Rhode Island, it’s better to find someone who might enjoy the book when you are finished with it,” said Sarah Kite, director of recycling services at RIRRC. “Rather than rip off the hard covers on bound books so you can recycle the pages, drop off all your hard cover books and your paperbacks, too, at the Central Landfill during regular hours.”
R.I. Resource Recovery recommends throwing away books that were damaged in the recent flooding. They are no longer usable and may actually cause harm if they become encrusted with mold.
Reading Tree accepts all types of books – children’s, adult, hard cover and paperback. Children’s books will be donated to schools, family literacy programs and international libraries. More than 1.6 million books were donated to such programs in 2008. Some books may be sold to help pay for Reading Tree’s programs.

“This program is a wonderful opportunity to give to people in need, and you will get a sense of satisfaction by clearing out all your unwanted books that have been taking up space in your home,” said Kite.
The Central Landfill is open Mondays through Fridays from 6:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to noon. For information about recycling, visit the Rhode Island Resource Recovery website at www.rirrc.org, or call 942-1430 x775.
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

Choose one to drop off household hazardous waste or unwanted electronics

JOHNSTON, R.I. (June 1, 2010) – Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will hold two special-wastes collections on June 19:  One at the Central Landfill in Johnston from  8:00 a.m. until noon, and one at Lincoln Town Hall from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Both are free for R.I. residents.

“It’s a busy season as many Rhode Islanders engage in home improvement projects, step up their gardening activities, or clean out their homes,” said Mike OConnell, executive director of RIRRC.  “We see a surge in requests to use our Eco-Depot and e-waste collection services, so we have collections nearly every weekend in spring.  We try to make the service accessible, quick and convenient and ask everyone to avail themselves of this outstanding program.”

In Johnston, RIRRC will collect both electronic waste and household hazardous waste (HHW).  At the Lincoln collection, only HHW will be accepted.   Appointments are required at both HHW locations to reduce time waiting in line.

Acceptable e-waste includes televisions, computers, printers, keyboards, laptops, cell phones, hard drives, scanners, modems, and mouse devices.

Products such as fluorescent light bulbs, oil-based paints, motor oil, fertilizers, and propane gas tanks cannot be placed among regular trash destined for the landfill.  Nearly all households have some amounts of hazardous waste stored in sheds, garages, and basements.  These products typically have warning labels marked “flammable,” “combustible,” “explosive,” or “corrosive.”  When discarded improperly, they are as harmful to the environment as they are to humans and animals.

For a comprehensive list of HHW, visit www.rirrc.org.  There, you can book your appointment.  For questions or concerns, call 942-1430 x241.  Appointments are not necessary for recycling e-waste.  For waste collection information specific to the Town of Lincoln, call 333-8422.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.