WE ARE NOT A DUMP ! !

The Recycling Center has an After Hours Drop Off Area that is open to the public 24/7. This area was designed to offer recyclers the opportunity to bring their recyclables to the Center even if they could not make it during our normal operating hours. Over the years we have been told how much this area is appreciated by dedicated recyclers. By the volumes of recyclables that are left in this drop off area, it is quite evident that many people choose to use this area as their primary method of recycling and the majority of materials left are the appropriate materials that we are able to recycle. However, each day as I walk out front to survey what people have dropped off the evening before I am just amazed at what some people think we recycle here. After the Labor Day weekend I found carpet padding, yard trimmings, old wood, a few filthy mattresses, broken plastic lawn furniture, tires, garden hoses and even some bags of residential garbage.

We spend a lot of time, energy and money educating the public about the importance of recycling and telling people what we are able to accept for recycling here at the Center. However, it seems that there are some people who just don’t understand or care about the consequences of their inappropriate dumping in this area. Trash and non-recyclables left here require extra work for our personnel and equipment to remove. This cuts into their time required to handle the recyclables that we deal with and slows everything down. Additionally, the Recycling Center then has to dispose of these things and incur both hauling charges and landfill fees that run up our operating expenses unnecessarily. Anything left at the Recycling Center that is not one of the items that we accept for recycling is actually considered illegal dumping and there are serious fines and other consequences to deal with if a person is caught in this type of behavior.

I encourage anyone that wants to bring materials to our After Hours Drop Off area to check with us first to make sure they are brining the right things if they are not sure. We have a complete listing of materials accepted posted in the Cashier’s window at the Center, a complete listing on our web site at www.romefloydrecycles.org and plenty of handouts available for anyone wanting some. The general rule of thumb is the After Hours Drop Off Area is for the exact same materials that we accept during our normal operating hours which are from 8:30 – 5:00 Tuesday – Friday and 8:00 – 2:00 on Saturday. If you have something to bring and are not sure if we accept it and haven’t checked out any of the above mentioned sources remember the old saying – WHEN IN DOUBT – DON’T. Please check with us first to help avoid causing extra work, extra expenses or possible fines for illegal dumping.

If you want any further information, please contact Marta Turner at 291-5266 or rfrecycl@roman.net.