Town of Amherst Recycling & Waste Committee

10/01/2022

Pumpkin season is upon us and we are planning ahead. November 5th drop off your pumpkins as food scraps.

07/07/2022

Great work!

Members of our Sustainability Team from the Department of Environment and Planning shared Climate Action Plan information today at EPIC's "Summer of Storytime" at Canalside. For more information on programs at Every Person Influences Children programs (https://www.epicforchildren.org/) and for info on our Climate Action Plan (https://www3.erie.gov/climateaction/). Thanks team!!

05/21/2022

Mark your calendars!

05/21/2022

Join us today at the Williamsville farmers market until 1!

05/20/2022

Join us tomorrow from 10am-1pm for the first Amherst farmers market!

05/13/2022

DEC Launches New Paint Recycling Program - My Little Falls

The New York State Post-consumer Paint Collection Program began on 1May2022. This program provides over 300 year round drop off locations for oil and latex paints

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that the New York State Postconsumer Paint Collection Program is underway, making it easier for households and businesses to […]

01/17/2022

Modern Disposal is delaying garbage & refuse pickup all week by 1 day due to the snowstorm that is expected tonight into tomorrow night. There will NOT be any pickup on Monday, January 17th. Friday pickup will take place on Saturday this week.

12/01/2021

Free electronics recycling event

Free electronics recycling event

If you're looking to get rid of some clutter before the holidays, a recycling company will take your electronics off your hands for free this weekend.

09/04/2021

Our Committee is looking for volunteers to help collect food scraps for composting at both the Williamsville and Bassett Park Farmer's Markets and we're looking for help out for all dates starting with
Saturday, September 11th.

We've developed a new procedure to sign up for dates to help out at both Markets. Here's how the new process works:
1) Go to our sign-up website:
https://signupschedule.com/amherstfoodscrap

2) Click on the date you'd like to work and enter your Name, Email,
Phone, and any Comment you might want to add.

3) Although we always would like to have at least two volunteers at our booth, it's great to get more than two.

4) If you can only work part of the shift, please note that in the
comments.

We always have an experienced person at the booth, so prior participation is NOT REQUIRED!

07/22/2021

The Town of Amherst will hold an IN-PERSON public hearing on Monday, July 26 at 3:00 pm at Town Hall to receive comments on its Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan. This plan will influence agricultural policymaking in the Town for years to come, and this is your chance to weigh in! Comments will be taken in person at the meeting, or via written correspondence to the Town Board.

06/15/2021

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Are you ready for this week's ? Our question this week is:

Are opaque plastic cups (Solo cups) recyclable?

06/11/2021

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Thank you for participating in this week’s ! We asked: “What is the maximum weight per item allowed for all municipalities Modern serves?”

The answer is…60 pounds! To ensure the safety of our drivers and laborers, we ask that you don’t pack any item heavier than 60 pounds. It can be easy to throw things away and not think about what happens after they go into your tote. However, it is important to remember that everything you put into your tote is handled by one of our workers at some point throughout the process. Please help us keep our workers safe and keep all items under the 60 pound limit. Thank you!

06/08/2021

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It's time for another ! Our question this week is:

What is the maximum weight per item allowed for all municipalities Modern serves?

06/04/2021

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TGIF! We're back with the answer to this week's ! Our question was: "Do recyclables have to be completely clean and dry to be recycled?"

The answer is...No! Items should be emptied and rinsed out, but they don't need to be completely clean and dry. So if you're recycling a peanut butter jar, most of the peanut butter should be scooped out and the jar should be rinsed, but it's okay if there is still some peanut butter on the inside walls of the jar.

One of the main reasons materials should be cleaned is because some materials are weighed, so any excess materials in the container can throw off the weight. The other main reason is because the materials are sorted by hand, and it isn't pleasant for our sorters to have to touch products that are messy or might be spoiled.

05/21/2021

TGIF! We're back with the answer to this week's question! We asked: "What is a split body truck, and how does Modern use them?"

The answer is...A split body truck is a truck that has 2 separate compartments: one for trash and one for recycling. We use these trucks in some of the communities we service. If you have ever seen one of our workers dumping both of your cans into the same truck, don't worry! It's likely because they are using a split body truck.

05/12/2021

It's time for another ! Our question this week is:

How should you dispose of old electronics?

05/07/2021

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Thank you to everyone for taking part in this week's ! Our question was: "Should you sort your recycling into separate bags or boxes before putting them in your recycling tote?"

The answer is...No! All of the materials that go into your tote end up on a conveyer belt in our recycling facility. By putting your materials in bags or boxes, it makes it much harder for our sorters to remove the materials from the bag/box and get it into the right bale. It also makes it impossible for the optical sorting technology to identify the type of materials inside and get it to the right bale.

05/05/2021

Photos from Recycle Right New York's post

05/03/2021

Join us in celebrating International/New York State Compost Awareness Week, May 2 - 8, 2021! This year’s theme ”Grow, Eat… COMPOST...Repeat” empowers us to recognize and promote the importance of composting and the use of compost in growing healthier food, supporting healthier soils and, ultimately, creating a more just and sustainable world.

Learn more about how you can celebrate NYS Compost Awareness Week and find an event near you: https://www.nysar3.org/page/nys-compost-awareness-week-2021-165.html

04/28/2021

Get Involved | Community Climate Action Plan

Get Involved | Community Climate Action Plan

Erie County Climate Action is Erie County’s green initiative to develop an equity-centered Community Climate Action Plan. The Plan will identify actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help the community adapt to our changing climate. The plan will also set goals following the NYS Climate ...

04/22/2021

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Happy ! This day is a great reminder to all of us that we are capable of making small changes each day that can benefit our environment.

04/22/2021

Photos from Recycle Right New York's post

04/20/2021

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This is a question we get all the time. Just because something has a recycling symbol or says "recyclable" on the packaging, doesn't mean it will be recycled successfully.

To succeed in becoming a new product, an item must survive the collecting, sorting, and milling processes before entering manufacturing. And the material must be deemed “valuable” by manufacturers. What we can accept in our recycling program is limited to what manufacturers are willing to buy. But the good news is that consumers have more power than they think – by using your valuable dollars to purchase items that are more sustainable, you are signaling to the market what products are desirable!

04/16/2021

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TGIF! It's time to answer this week's question! We asked, "Is the plastic wrap found around packs of water bottles, paper towels, etc. recyclable?"

The answer is...Not in your curbside tote. Plastic wrap, also called film plastic, is not accepted in your curbside recycling collection. However, it can be recycled at most film plastic recycling drop off facilities. To find one near you, please follow the link below!
https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/recycling-bags-and-wraps/find-drop-off-location/

04/14/2021

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Do you ever feel confused about recycling? You’re not alone! On Earth Day, visit https://recyclerightny.org/ for the official launch of a statewide recycling website that will help communities throughout New York State address recycling confusion and contamination. By keeping valuable materials in productive use, recycling right conserves natural resources, prevents pollution, protects public health, saves energy, creates jobs, and so much more. This Earth Day, we can all help to “Restore Our Earth” by pledging to reduce, reuse, and recycle right!

04/13/2021

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Are you ready for ? Our question this week is:

Is the plastic wrap found around packs of water bottles, paper towels, etc. recyclable?

04/10/2021

Composting Yard Waste- Recycle in Your Garden! - Essential Home and Garden

Composting Yard Waste- Recycle in Your Garden! - Essential Home and Garden

Instead of throwing your valuable yard waste out, recycle it into nutrients that improve the soil and feed your plants. Composting yard waste is easier than you think.

03/29/2021

Starting April 1 residents can put out yard compost materials on their regular collection day. The material must be properly bundled and or packaged for pickup.

Leaves, small trimmings and other yard waste should be put in containers, paper yard waste bags or bundled for collection (NO YARDWASTE IN PLASTIC BAGS) on a weekly basis and will be collected by Modern Disposal.

In addition, the Amherst Highway Department’s brush pickup crews will be out picking up large brush piles by appointment; please call 631-7117 to schedule your address for service. Please have brush, logs and stumps out for pickup before you call. Any material placed out MUST be free of any dirt or soil.

The Town Highway will only collect large unmanageable piles of logs, brush (cut to less than 8 feet in length), and tree stumps. No mixed piles containing lumber, concrete, railroad ties or non-organic materials will be collected.

Town of Amherst residents are allowed to dump their yard waste at the C.J. Krantz Recycle Center on Smith Rd free of charge during the facilities working hours.

03/26/2021

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TGIF! It's time to answer this week's . We asked: "When you recycle jars and bottles, should you leave the lids and caps on or take them off?"

The answer is...Leave them on! Your materials come through our facility on a conveyor belt, and small lids and caps can get lost and fall to the floor if they go through on their own. It is easier to leave them on the jars and bottles, even though they are often made of a different material. The sorters can manually remove the lids and caps and put them into the appropriate area!

03/23/2021

Never put unused medications in the recycling bin or down the drain. Doing so contaminates other recyclable materials and pollutes local waterways. To learn how to responsibly dispose of unused medications, visit the Safe Medication Disposal for Households web page (t.ly/wcIF), and find medication drop-box locations near you by exploring this online locator map (t.ly/ifuT).

03/23/2021

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Are you ready for this week's ? Our question this week is:

When you recycle jars and bottles, should you leave the lids and caps on or take them off?

03/19/2021

10 Uses for an Egg Carton

10 Uses for an Egg Carton

After the eggs are all scrambled and eaten, the container is useful for home improvement

03/17/2021

Collection Event - Williamsville, May 01, 2021 - Sunnking Electronics Recycling

Collection Event - Williamsville, May 01, 2021 - Sunnking Electronics Recycling

03/12/2021

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Thank you to everyone who answered this week's ! Our question was: "How do you properly dispose of unused medication?"
The answer is...in the trash or at a medication disposal event or center! Never put unused medications in the recycling bin or down the drain. Doing so contaminates other recyclable materials and pollutes local waterways. To learn how to responsibly dispose of unused medications, visit the Safe Medication Disposal for Households web page (t.ly/wcIF), and find medication drop-box locations near you by exploring this online locator map (t.ly/ifuT).

03/08/2021

Used needles, syringes, and lancets should never go in the recycling bin. Medical sharps, whether loose or stored in a plastic container, that are placed in recycling bins injure local recycling facility employees by pricking them and spreading bloodborne illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis C. To learn about safe disposal of these items, visit the NYS Sharps Collection Program web page (t.ly/fRfh).

03/05/2021

A reminder that there are still 4 gardening seminar events coming up in March and April.

02/05/2021

The Amherst Highway Department is preparing for the anticipated storm that will start this afternoon and continue thru part of the weekend. We are requesting that residents do not park in the streets even during the daytime hours if at all possible. The less vehicles parked on the streets the more thoroughly and efficiently we can clear the roads. We will have trucks out at all needed times throughout the storm but with difficult changing conditions and blowing snow anticipated our clean up may be delayed at times.

01/20/2021

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🙅‍♀‍ Sorry folks, chip bags are not recyclable. ❌

♻️We hope you enjoyed our to .