Recycling
Once a client's belongings have been distributed to family members or sold to a buyer whose offer is accepted by the client, there still are usually a variety of items which need to be removed. BERGFELD's handles these in compliance with local recycling regulations, and with creative donations. The following list has links to information that is particularly relevant to BERGFELD's and our clients. Some listings are national and some are NYC area specific.
NYCWastele$$ is a website created by the NYC Dept. of Sanitation's Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling. It has a wealth of up-to-date information on NY recycling for home, schools & agencies, and businesses. You can explore it yourself by clicking on the logo above. In addition, some of the links below will take you to a specific area of the NYCWastele$$ site. Check your local dept. of sanitation for similar information.
The Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC) is another excellent source of information on recycling. CENYC promotes waste prevention and recycling, environmental awareness, and runs the largest farmers market program in the country.
NYC.gov checklist of household items that must be recycled in NYC.
Recycle your old sneakers:
Nike has a program called Reuse-A-Shoe. They collect worn out athletic shoes of any brand, grind them up and use the material to make surfacing for athletic courts.
Recycle old cell phones, computers, electronics:
call2recycle.org - a national program to recycle rechargable batteries and cell phones
Call 877-2-RECYCLE or 311 (in NYC)
Wastele$$ - listing of recycling options and take-back programs (some electronics manufacturers offer recycling programs that you can use, often for free).
CellPhonesForSoldiers - proceeds from donations and recycling used to purchase calling cards for soldiers to call home. They also provide information about tools for erasing personal information from phones prior to donation.
eBay's rethink initiative - offers options for resale, donation, and recycling.
Batteries, paint and medical waste:
earth911.org - look for recycling of specific items in your zip code
fda.gov - proper disposal of medications
ny.gov - instructions for disposing of sharps
Put old fur coats to good use:
To donate fur to be used by wildlife rehabilitators call the Humane Society - 301-258-3109 or PETA - 800-FUR-AWAY.
Clothing & textiles:
Find a schedule of recycling & donating events and a list of charities & thrift shops in the NYC area
Wearable Collections provides a no cost, turn-key solution to recycling clothing within residential buildings in NYC. They handle all the logistics from placement of bins and promotion within the buildings to scheduling weekly pick-ups.
Donate used eyeglasses:
Give the Gift of Sight is a family of programs providing free visioncare and eye wear to underprivileged individuals in North America and around the world.
Help take back our view of the sky through the trees:
New York City's Plastic Carryout
Bag Recycling Law
Info for Consumers
Composting is nature's way of recycling. Learn more about it at the Lower East Side Ecology Center
Build It Green! NYC, is New York City's only non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials. Their mission is to keep these materials out of the landfill, while offering deep discounts on their resale. They are sponsored by Community Environmental Center (CEC)
More Resources:
More and more, individuals and companies are jumping on the Green bandwagon. We found a couple of sites in addition to those above, dedicated to the subjects of recycling and greening.
Earth911.com has a database of over 100,000 recycling locations in the U.S. as well as helpful articles and tips on recycling.
also
has a recycling locator, blog, green glossary and a search tool for guidelines
by state.