Archive: Around Town

The Tompkins County Solid Waste Division has installed its fourth public space recycling bin in Ithaca's Stewart Park, along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. It features receptacles for both trash and common single-stream recyclable items like cans, bottles and newspapers. The bins are serviced on a regular basis by Casella Waste Systems, and will be monitored frequently by Solid Waste Division staff. The City removed other garbage receptacles in Stewart Park once the public space bins were installed near the small pavilion and playground.

"We've found an increasing number of communities are focused on expanding recycling opportunities to public settings such as streetscapes and parks," said Nancy Webster, an Assistant Recycling Specialist for Tompkins County. "The more successful programs are those that provide options for both recycling and trash."


Tompkins County worked closely with the City of Ithaca to site the public space bin in Stewart Park.  "It will provide park visitors and trail users with a better option to recycle materials, rather than sending them to a landfill," said City Forester Jeanne Grace.

In 2015, the County installed public space recycling bins next to the Public Library on East Green Street in Ithaca, near the Lansing Town Center on Route 34, and along Main Street in Trumansburg. It has plans to site at least two additional public space bins before the end of 2016.

The public space recycling initiative is one of several programs supported by the County's solid waste annual fee.

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