Huntington to start single-stream recycling

The Town of Huntington is changing to single-stream recycling starting Jan. 1, Supervisor Frank P. Petrone announced Wednesday.

The format is expected to make it easier for people to recycle and to encourage greater compliance with recycling practices.

Instead of having to remember alternating weeks for paper versus glass and can pickups, all recyclables can go in one container that will be picked up every Wednesday.

"Long Island is heading towards a solid waste crisis management problem," said Adrienne Esposito, co-chair of the Northport Harbor Water Quality Protection Committee. "Allowing for recycling to be easier, more convenient, will increase the rate of recycling. That means our solid waste disposal problem becomes slightly diminished."

In addition, a new state law effective Jan. 1 bans dumping electronic waste, including TVs, computers, printers, stereos and other gear.

The town will put stickers on e-waste left curbside instead of picking it up. The stickers will explain the new state law and provide disposal options for electronic material such as bringing e-waste to the town's recycling center.

"Both measures are aimed at getting people to recycle more of what they use instead of putting it into the traditional waste stream," Petrone said.

The single-stream recycling effort will be done in partnership with Brookhaven-based Green Stream Recycling, a joint venture between Danbury, Connecticut-based Winter Brothers Waste Systems and Omni Recycling of Babylon.

The new system uses a complex method to sort materials for recycling, resulting in more valuable recycled end products.

Green Stream will accept the recycling from Omni, which will pay the Town of Huntington $25,000 for the materials. The town signed a one-year contract for the new recycling program.