Which juice containers can I recycle? When can I recycle batteries?

Date: 10/2/2019

Dear Elizabeth, What kind of juice containers or boxes can I recycle?

Dear Reader, There are a few types of juice containers that are recyclable, and a few that are not depending on the types of plastic or liquid packaging board they are made out of. Juice boxes are recyclable with the curbside container recycling. They are made of aluminum, layers of paper, and plastic. Juice bottles made of plastic and glass are also recyclable.  Juice pouches such as Capri Suns are not recyclable at our local recycling facility. They should be placed in the trash or can be collected and mailed to TerraCycle, a company that takes hard to recycle items. Please remember to dispose of the straws in the trash and empty completely.

Dear Elizabeth, When can I recycle batteries?

Dear Reader, Not all batteries need to be recycled. Alkaline batteries can be put in the trash as they do not contain the harmful chemicals as they once did. However, some types must be recycled. Button batteries, cell phone batteries, mercury batteries, lithium batteries, and rechargeable batteries all must be recycled. These types do contain chemicals that we do not want sitting in a landfill or incinerated. These batteries can be brought to your local transfer station, or in some towns they offer drop off points at the Town Hall, Council on Aging, or Libraries. Contact your town for where to recycle your batteries.

Elizabeth Bone is the Recycling Coordinator for the Town of East Longmeadow. To ask your recycling questions, send her an email at elizabeth.bone@eastlongmeadowma.gov.