ITHACA, NY – Tompkins County’s Department of Recycling and Materials Management recently installed a public space recycling station in front of the County Courthouse building on North Tioga Street in Ithaca. It features receptacles for both trash and common single-stream recyclable items like cans, plastic and glass bottles and newspapers.
Serviced on a regular basis by Casella Waste Systems, the station is monitored frequently by TCRMM staff to guard against contamination of either the waste or recycling streams. “We installed our first public space recycling bin almost two years ago,” said Nancy Webster, a Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist for Tompkins County. “We have found an increasing number of communities are focused on expanding recycling opportunities to public settings such as streetscapes and parks, with the most successful offering options for both trash and recycling.” In addition to the Courthouse location, public space recycling stations can be found next to the Public Library on East Green Street in Ithaca, in front of the County Human Services Building, on Main Street in Trumansburg, and along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail in Stewart Park. Tompkins County Director of Facilities Arel LeMaro has been an enthusiastic supporter of the initiative. “These units are not only aesthetically pleasing and serve an important function in helping reduce instances of litter,” he said. “but it’s especially significant, in the case of the County Courthouse, that we highlight this program in front of one of our most prominent and historical buildings.” At least two more public space recycling stations are expected to be installed in 2017, according to TCRMM’s Webster. ### Contact: Nancy Webster, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist, 273-6632 Geoff Dunn Communications and Administrative Coordinator Tompkins County Recycling and Materials Management 122 Commercial Ave. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 273-6632 http://www.recycletompkins.org For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.
