Recycling containers in place in Delano

Recycling containers are now in place at the Delano Regional Transfer Station to take in plastics, paper, tin cans, aluminum cans, and even some electronics.

One of the new containers placed outside the gates of the Delano Regional Transfer Station as part of Sunrise Disposals new contract with area towns accepts mixed paper, #1 and #2 plastics, rinsed out tin cans, and rinsed out aluminum cans.

Another container placed outside the transfer station's gates is for "e-cycling," and accepts old TVs, computers, and tablets.

People should not throw charging cables, computer mouses, or keyboards into the e-cycle container according to Dion Gotti, who owns Sunrise Disposal. "Mixed paper" includes newspapers, magazines, and office paper, but not envelopes with plastic windows on them nor laminated paper. Paper clips and staples should be removed. Cereal boxes should not be thrown in with the mixed paper.

"Plastic #1" include items like soda and water bottles, juice containers, and cooking oil containers; plastic #2 includes shampoo bottles, laundry detergent and bleach bottles, and more.

Gotti emphasized that lids are not accepted, and should be removed before recycling, and also that containers should be rinsed out first.

You can't simply throw a bag or box of recyclable items into the receptacle, Gotti also said; instead, you need to empty your bag or box of items into the appropriate compartment.

The transfer station also accepts cardboard in a receptacle within their gates.

Gotti said the receptacle, which has sections for the various types of recyclables, will be emptied soon, but shouldn't be gone for longer than a day, and he said they might incorporate a second container so that there isn't any lag in service while a container is being emptied.

"Honestly I didn't know if we'd be hauling it the first week or the first month," Gotti said, "it's just so new ... We're gonna learn a lot these first couple of loads, see what we have in there."