Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Color Brighton Green facilitates the reuse and recycling of some specific items. Reducing and reusing is always more impactful than recycling.
- Gently used or new school supplies (contact [email protected] or drop off at Impact Earth*
- Oral care packaging:
Empty and rinsed toothpaste tubes, toothpaste caps, toothbrushes, floss containers, deodorant containers, and plastic soap wrappers. (contact [email protected] or drop off at Impact Earth*) NOTE: mouthwash bottles with any caps attached and aerosol deodorant cans can be placed in curbside recycling - Used Contact lens and blister packs: Biotrue® ONEday and other Bausch + Lomb brand contact lenses and Biotrue(R) ONEday and other Bausch + Lomb brand blister packs. Also accepted: contact lenses and blister packs from all brands. Do not include the cardboard packaging since that can be placed in your curbside recycle container. Find local drop-off locations using this website: ONE-by-ONE-bauschrecycles
- Brita Brand water filters (ONLY). (contact [email protected] or drop off at Impact Earth*) Other brands of water filters should be placed in the trash.
- Used wine corks (contact [email protected] or drop them off at Impact Earth*
- 1 and 2-gallon plant pots for Color Brighton Green’s tree program (contact [email protected] or drop them off at Impact Earth*)
*Impact Earth location: 1458 Monroe Avenue (next to the Bop Shop). Visit Home | Impact Earth (impactearthlifestyle.com) for hours of operation.
Places to recycle other items
- Styrofoam: The EcoPark will take large, clean, white-packing styrofoam with no tape on it.
- Egg Cartons: some farmers at the market will take them.
- Plastic grocery bags, bread bags, newspaper bags, other thin plastic bags, or plastic wrap: grocery stores take them for recycling in their “plastic bag” recycling bins.
Plastic bags, cords, ropes, etc. wrap around recycling machinery causing facility downtime and also contaminate recyclable paper. Plastic bags and product wrapping may be recycled at most large retail outlets. Also, don’t put your curbside recyclables in plastic bags. If you do so, the entire bag full of items will go to the landfill instead of being recycled. They don’t have the ability at the sorting center to open the bags and sort the items. If you are worried about the wind catching your recyclables, purchase a larger recycle bin with a lid.
- EMPTY prescription or over-the-counter bottles: Monroe County Eco-Park. For more information from Monroe County about why you cannot put these empty bottles in your curbside recycling, and what happens to the bottles that are taken to the Monroe County Ecopark, see our green tip.
- Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). Home improvement stores or Monroe County EcoPark. (NO incandescent bulbs, place those in the trash.)
- Alkaline batteries: Batteries Plus stores will take small quantities.
- Button, and rechargeable batteries. Home improvement stores or the Monroe County EcoPark.
- Small electronics such as cell phones, printer cartridges, keyboards, modems, etc. Some big box stores or the Monroe County EcoPark.
- Sneakers: Fleet Feet stores in the Rochester area.
- Pull tabs from cans. Monroe County EcoPark.
- Clothing: Thrift Stores or Eco Park.
- Sewing materials: Craft Bits and Pieces in Fairport or Sew Green in Rochester
- Clean, worn towels and blankets: Can be taken by animal shelters
Eyeglasses. Goodwill