MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY OLD COUCH OR MATTRESS?

Leicester’s Recycling Center has a once a year “bulky waste” day.  They collect couches, chairs, mattresses and box springs for a fee.  All that is collected is recycled.  Stuffing is baled and sent abroad, wood is ground and put in barrels for heating greenhouses, metal is recycled and the cloth is made into automobile insulation.

 

WHAT ABOUT RECYCLING THOSE LARGE BROKEN PLASTIC TOYS?

Conigliaro Industries, Inc.701 Waverly Street, Framingham, Massachusetts 01702
(508) 872-9668 | (888) CONIG-25 | (508) 653-6672 fax.  Recycle all plastic.Currently Leicester Recycling does not accept plastic other than food and beverage plastic #1, 2 and 5.  But stay tuned!

 

WHY SHOULD WE RECYCLE?  This is our favorite question!  If a Leicester Resident recycles and purchases with recycling in mind their average cost per year for trash removal is only $96!  Compare that to your trash removal costs annually.  Now how many dinners out can you experience with that kind of savings?

 

WHAT DOES IT COST TO RECYCLE IN LEICESTER?

Beginning July 1, 2007 the cost for residents of Leicester is $20 per year for a car tag.  The only other cost is for special collections such as: paint, hazardous waste, bulky waste.  If you are a Non-Resident the costs on the Recycling brochure applies i.e. 28 cents a pound for technology products; metal and tires priced on site etc.

 

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY OLD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES?

Books are collected and made available to anyone.  The book recycling truck is cleaned out by putting books into the “Africa” book truck.  Leicester ships a 45 yard overseas shipping container full of books to Africa every 5 months.  Magazines cannot be shipped overseas.  They are recycled with your paper.  Why not bring your magazines to your doctor or dentists office?

 

WHAT DO I DO WITH OLD METAL CRUTCHES, WALKERS, WHEEL CHAIRS OR OTHER HANDICAPPED EQUIPMENT?

Leicester has partnered with Wheelchairs Around The World and all handicapped equipment is collected regionally and sent to 3^rd world countries.

 

WHERE CAN I TAKE MY USED MOTOR OIL?

The business that sold you motor oil is required to accept your used motor oil at no cost (save your receipts). Also, Leicester Highway Department, Peter Salem Road, accepts used motor oil which they burn for heat.

 

WHAT CAN I DOWITH MY LEFTOVER PAINT?

First, try to donate the unused portion to a non-profit organization or neighbor. Otherwise, oil-based paint should be brought to the Recycling Center on open Saturdays during June, July, August and September.  Latex paint, if dried out, can be disposed of with your regular trash. Pour kitty litter into the paint can and keep the lid off until the paint dries out. Make sure children and/or animals cannot get into the paint can. There is a fee to drop off paint.

 

WHAT SHOULD I DOWITH MY OLD CAR BATTERY?

Battery acid, the liquid in car batteries, is a very dangerous and highly corrosive liquid. If you are buying a new battery, most businesses will take the old battery. If not, your Recycling Center accepts them at no charge.

 

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVE CLEANING PRODUCTS AVAILABLE?

Yes, many non-toxic cleaning products are available in local stores. Also, recipes using baking soda, vinegar, water and lemon juice can create cleansers for bathrooms, kitchens, floors and more and cost less. Your Recycling Center has a handy brochure on the subject.

 

WHAT IS A HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW) COLLECTION DAY?

Leicester holds a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day to collect household hazardous wastes from residents once every 2 years in September (2007, 2009, 2011 etc.) Materials are taken from your car, sorted and packed safely for proper disposal for a fee.

 

WHICH PRODUCTS ARE HAZARDOUS? READ THE LABEL.

Read product labels and look for these signal words: poison, danger, warning or caution. These federally mandated words indicate the degree of immediate hazard posed by the product. Poison means that the product is highly toxic. Generally, danger indicates that a product is extremely hazardous, either because it is poisonous, extremely flammable or corrosive. Warning or caution indicates products that are somewhat less hazardous. Products listing no signal words are usually the least hazardous and those with poison are the most hazardous.

 

WHAT IS MERCURY?  MERCURY IS A NATURALLY OCCURRING ELEMENT. Found in cinnabar, which is mined from the Earth's crust, mercury is refined and used in the manufacture of many products. In the home it may be found in thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs, appliances, dental fillings and pharmaceuticals. It is also present in coal, oil and natural gas. Even though it has many useful qualities, mercury is extremely toxic to our health and environment.

 

MERCURY CAN CAUSE DAMAGE to the human brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver. It affects the ability to learn, speak, feel, see, taste and move. Mercury in the diets of wildlife can cause early death and inability to reproduce. When items that contain mercury break, breathing the toxic vapors or touching the mercury can cause serious health problems. The largest release of mercury into the environment occurs when fossil fuels (primarily coal) are burned for energy or when products containing mercury are incinerated or buried in landfills that may leak. Mercury becomes airborne, enters our waterways and is consumed by fish.

Bring all mercury containing items to your Leicester Recycling Center immediately for

proper recycling!

 

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY OLD RECORD PLAYER, TELEPHONE AND SCANNER?

These are considered electronics.  The record player and scanner are recycled in the Computer and Technology area at the Recycling Center.  The telephone also can be recycled in this area but if it is a cell phone it is placed in a box in the Plastic Shed where the school volunteers recycle it in a fund raising effort for the schools.

HOW DO I SORT MY RECYCLING MATERIALS?

Most people sort when they get to the Recycling Center.  If you want to sort ahead of time you need to first determine what items you have the most of such as: paper, plastic; corrugated & chipped board; and glass.  Sort in this manner and then when you arrive at the Center you can bring the sorted items to the recycling stations for that product.  Recycling is not difficult.  All paper goes in paper bags; plastic is sorted by number (1, 2, and 5).  Volunteers are available to assist you when you arrive at the Center with sorting of your items.

 

WHAT ABOUT STYROFOAM?  Bulk Styrofoam is recycled separately from Styrofoam peanuts.  The reason for this is that they go to 2 different end markets.  Bulk is made into packing peanuts and packing peanuts are brought to a shipping company in Auburn.  There are some bulk like packing materials out there that appear to be Styrofoam but are not.  If it does not look like it could be made into those packing peanuts generally it cannot be recycled.

 

WHAT DO I DO IF I CAN’T FIND WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR ON THE RECYCLING BROCHURE?

That’s easy.  Just ask a Recycling Volunteer when you visit the Center.  There are 40 of them!  Or use the telephone numbers or email address to find out your answer.  NEVER assume that we do not take something unless it is specifically written on the brochures.  We have countless outlets for all kinds of thing having been in the recycling business for over 15 years!  Ask before you throw it away please?

 

DO YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO LECTURE ON THE SUBJECT OF RECYCLING?

Absolutely!  We have been talking to scouts, students, seniors and others for many years.  Just as a volunteer, use the telephone numbers or email the address on the brochure.  Please give us at least a months notice if you can.  Thanks.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ITEMS WHEN THEY ARE RECYCLED?

What happens to an item depends on the item you are recycling.  Plastic is recycled into many things such as:  road aggregate, clothing, plastic lumber, park benches, and much more.  #5 plastic is made into toothbrushes and razors. Glass and metal are recyclable forever – meaning that they can be recycled over and over and over again.  Paper and corrugated cardboard from Leicester is used to make your cereal boxes you open in the morning.  Computers are broken down piece by piece and each thing is recycled for its own properties often being sent to 3^rd world countries.  Clothing is distributed to over 16 shelters in the Worcester County area.  If you have questions about where you items are going, ask a volunteer when you visit the Center.

 

HOW IS RECYCLING FUNDED IN LEICESTER?  The town meeting appropriates approximately $16,000 a year for the operation of the Recycling Center.  The Center generally takes in about $10,000 a year in income.  Thus, the net cost to the tax payer is approximately $6,000.  But, if the Center closed tomorrow, the town would have to appropriate approximately $7,500 to dispose of the municipal items that are currently recycled at the Recycling Center because they would not be disposed of in bulk as they are now.  So that calculates as a net savings of $1,500 a year.  With the car tag fee being instituted on July 1, 2007 these figures are expected to change.