Celebrate Valentine's Day and the Planet
A Guide to Recycling in NYC Co-Ops and Condos
Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate love, affection, and togetherness. But as we celebrate with our loved ones, it's important not to forget about the planet that sustains us all. This Valentine's Day, why not show some love to the environment by making a conscious effort to recycle in your New York City co-op or condo? By recycling, we can reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and help protect the planet for future generations. Here’s some basics on how to recycle in NYC co-ops and condos and make this Valentine's Day a sustainable one.
Blue Recycling Bin: Most New York City co-ops and condos are equipped with a blue recycling bin where you need to recycle items such as plastic bottles, rigid plastic food containers and packaging, cleaning solution bottles, condiment containers, rigid plastic toys with batteries removed, empty aerosol cans and lids, metal cans, metal hangers. Make sure to separate these items from regular trash and put them in the bin.
Green Bin: In addition to the blue recycling bin, many buildings also have a green bin for paper, cardboard, newspapers, organics recycling. This is where you place your pizza box, but don’t forget to take out the plastic wheelie and put that in the blue recycling bins, and place the greasy wax paper in the brown gin with the organics. By separating these items from regular trash, you can help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Brown Bin: This is where you place your food waste, yard waste and other organics materials like dead flowers and plants, coffee grind and filters, used paper towels and greasy containers and food papers. The program is voluntary and was widely adopted before the pandemic, when it was cancelled. DSNY is gradually bringing organics recycling back with many neighborhoods being back to pre-pandemic recycling levels. We understand from DSNY that the organics program will be back on the Upper East Side in 2024.
ecycleNYC Bin: Is where you dispose of electronic waste like old computers, printers, and TVs. Many co-ops and condos provide their residents with the extra convenience of having an ecycleNYC bin in their basement. The program is handled by ERI, the world’s largest fully integrated IT disposal provider and cyber security-focused hardware destruction company, through an exclusive partnership with DSNY. If you’re building doesn’t have an ecycleNYC bin, reach out to ERI directly to get your building’s free of charge bin.
refashionNYC Bin: Some buildings have refashionNYC bins for used clothing, shoes, and accessories, including old, used, and ripped clothing and fabrics. This program is also an extra amenity for residents that no longer have to drag their items to the nearest charity who accepts those items. refashionNYC is a free clothing donation and recycling service, in partnership with Housing Works provides this convenient collection while fighting the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS. Tax receipts are available on the bin. If your building does not have a refashionNYC bin, you can ask the super if he’d be willing to request one.
Soft plastics like plastic bags and bubble wrap do NOT go in any of the above bins as they need to be brought back to a store that collects soft plastics.
Check with your building’s management as co-op and condo house rules often address trash disposal and recycling. It's always a good idea to check with your building management or super to make sure you are recycling correctly.
By following these tips, you can make a positive impact on the environment and help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Let's show some love to our planet this Valentine's Day by recycling and making New York City a greener place to live.
The Folson Group is a residential building efficiency consultancy that helps boards make their buildings safer, more sustainable, and more affordable. Get The Folson Group’s Energy Efficiency Policy©. It’s the only policy available on the NYC market to address the energy used inside the apartments. Schedule a strategy session with us to talk about how it would work for your building and strategically minimize those fines at the lowest possible cost to your co-op or condo.