Elk County Community Recycling Center

In observance of the Easter holiday, the recycling office and community recycling center will be closed tomorrow, Good Friday, April 2. The center will reopen its normal time of 10 a.m. next Monday, April 5.

The staff at the Elk County Conservation District is always doing fun and creative things and here's one just in time for Earth Day 2021. It would be wonderful to fill the office with upcycled art!

Our customers are the best. We are thankful for each and every one, and the nice things they do for our volunteers. The drive through service is only possible because of our wonderful group of volunteers. And it makes us especially happy when our customers thank them for their part in making recycling happen here.

Propped on top of the clear glass bottles and jars at the Ridgway drop off this morning was a glass aquarium. A reminder to folks that the only type of glass that can be recycled in the glass container is packaging glass. Think beer, wine, liquor bottles, glass food jars (pickles, sauces, etc.), and other glass beverage containers. It doesn't take much contamination to make an entire load of glass unable to be recycled. If anyone has a question about glass recycling, just ask. Thanks!

A Happy St. Patrick's Day to our entire recycling community!

Spring is just around the corner. People are getting anxious to do some spring cleaning, and that pile of stuff on the shelf in the basement or garage is most likely on the to-do list. While we offer a once a year Household Hazardous Waste collection, we are able to accept oil-based coatings and pesticides on a regular basis. That said, the most common mistake people make when bringing paint to the recycling center is to bring us latex paint. Latex isn't toxic, but it needs... to be dried out before you can dispose of it. When some nice, warm days come our way, that can be accomplished by taking off the lid and letting the paint dry out. The paint can also be mixed with sawdust, cat litter, even concrete, so that it is no longer liquid. There is also a product on the market called Waste Paint Hardener that will do the trick. You will know the paint or other coating is latex if cleanup is soap and water. The only paint we take here is oil-based because it contains petroleum and is considered hazardous. It requires mineral spirits or paint thinner for cleanup. This will also be indicated on the can. As always, if you have any questions, ask away!

CLOSED Monday, January 18th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Attention Ridgway recyclers! The paper container is full again and will be brought to the center next Tuesday for processing. Please, refrain from using it this weekend. And also, don't leave paper and/or cardboard on the ground outside the container. Remember, the center will be open today from 10-2 if you would like to recycle paper and cardboard prior to the upcoming weekend. While we've been getting more cardboard because of the holidays, one of the biggest reasons the container is filling up so fast is that people aren't breaking down cardboard boxes. A flattened box takes up infinitely less room than boxes thrown in whole.

St. Marys residents: For anyone who needs one, we have copies of this year's curbside calendar at the recycling center. The City also has copies available in the lobby. If you have questions about your curbside service, call Elk Waste Services or visit their website. Information is on the photo.

Attention Ridgway recyclers! The paper container at the drop off is full and will be delivered here tomorrow morning for processing. Please don't leave paper and/or cardboard on the ground. The container will be empty by mid to late morning tomorrow (Thursday). Hang on to your recycling for another day. Thanks!!!

As this year comes to a close, we first want to thank everyone who helped us keep recycling thriving throughout 2020. It was a difficult year - at best - but folks stayed with us through all of it. The community recycling center exists because people consider it important, and the community is its most essential component, both in terms of patrons as well as volunteers. Despite all that this year threw at us, we have never lost sight of gratitude. Thank you for continuing to recycle! And remember, the containers in the parking lot will be removed Thursday afternoon. Please hang on to your recycling over the weekend, and we will see you come 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021!

Good morning, everyone! Containers are now staged in the parking lot at the recycling center. The two large black containers are for paper and plastic. There is also a small gray plastic box near our garbage dumpster for mixed cans (steel and aluminum). We will be open next week, Jan. 4, from 10-2. This week, please use the drop off for your recycling needs. And remember, hang onto all special items (electronics, batteries, lamps, etc.) until next week. And also, please don't put any recycling in the green garbage container in the parking lot.

The Elk County Community Recycling Center will reopen on Monday, June 8, 2020 at 10 a.m. HOURS: Monday: 10 am - 2 pm Wednesday: 12 pm - 7 pm Friday: 10 am - 2 pm Electronics will also be accepted during these hours. These are the requirements for reopening:... All staff and volunteers will be required to wear masks while working in close proximity with one another and with the public. If customers using the drive-through remain in their vehicles they are not required to wear a mask. However, if customers exit their vehicles to help unload, they will be required to wear a mask. The drive-through has been closed to the public for nearly three months, and even though we have been taking electronics by appointment, we realize that many, many people have electronic items they wish to recycle. We ask that you limit your electronics to five items per visit for these first few weeks. The recycling center will be open Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The center will now be open Wednesday from noon until 7 p.m. Please note the earlier close time on Wednesday evening. See more

Here at the community recycling center, we oftentimes have residents drop off vintage magazines, catalogs, etc. for recycling. Being that Thanksgiving is three weeks from today, here's a glimpse at the Market Basket flyer from 1978. It's interesting to compare today's prices with those from 42 years ago.

A few housekeeping items this morning. The center will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, and Friday, Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. We'll post reminders, but an initial heads up to all of our patrons. Also, we've been getting a lot of calls about electronics recycling lately. It is getting to be that time of year when people are looking to upgrade and replace old electronics, especially televisions. We take electronics any time we are open to the public, and our hours are posted at the top of this page.

A little Lost and Found for you this morning. Yesterday we processed paper and cardboard from Fox Township and paper from Cameron County. These may have been in a box in the Fox load but we're not sure. Regardless, we have them here at the center and they are brand new Justin Basics. Spread the word!

Next Monday, Oct. 12, is Columbus Day, but the community recycling center WILL be open its regular hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Attention Ridgway Borough residents! The drop-off site is set up and open for recycling. The drop-off is located just off of Gillis Avenue, and the borough installed a recycling center sign to direct folks to the location. This site is for borough residents only. A few bits of housekeeping: All metal cans can be dumped in the metals container. It is an open box with no dividers. We sort cans by type when they arrive here at the recycling center. Dump both aluminum and steel... cans in loose. And please, no scrap metal. Cans only. Glass will be recycled as before. Glass bottles and jars: beer, wine, liquor, teas, coffee drinks, sauces, pickles, and other food and beverage containers. No window glass, glass dishware or ovenware or other ceramics. Glass is separated by color, so please be mindful. Paper and cardboard: We ask that you break down cardboard boxes. This keeps the container from filling up so quickly. It's still canning season so remember, we cannot take waxed cardboard boxes. Plastic bottles and jars should also be dumped loose in the container. Acceptable plastics include water, pop and juice bottles, detergent and shampoo and vinegar containers, and other household or food containers that are a #1 or #2 bottle. As before, we also accept clear #1 thermoforms (think clamshells that contained fruit, veggies, or deli items). These must be clear and have a #1 PET symbol. We also will take #5 PP containers. Please make sure these are clean of any food residue. If you have any questions, give us a shout! See more

We have had so many questions about the availability of plastic bag recycling since COVID-19. Walmart in St. Marys indicated it is accepting plastic bags once again for recycling. Both locations of Elk County Foods (Ridgway and Johnsonburg) also accept plastic shopping bags for recycling.

Phew! is all we can say about this week. We were closed last week so the parking lot could be paved, and this week people made up for it. Some 610 vehicles came through and Monday's and Wednesday's numbers were records. One thing we have been getting a lot of - but that we cannot recycle - are wax coated cardboard boxes for fruit and vegetables. It's been an epic canning year and we have been getting many of these. If you do have some of these boxes, first ask the business where you purchased the produce whether they will take them back. Many will. They are sturdy and definitely can be reused many times. If not, please put them out with your regular trash.

The paving is looking pretty darned nice! Remember, the recycling center will be closed the remainder of the week so the project can be completed.

The numbers are in. This is what folks dropped off at the annual Household Hazardous Waste event held on August 29. By far, the largest percentage of the 9671 pounds brought for recycling was oil-based paints, varnishes and stains. Some 3842 pounds, or 1.9 tons. Oil-based coating and paint products such as turpentine accounted for nearly half of the total: 4525 pounds, or 2.3 tons. Other types of HHW dropped off that day included pesticides and poisons (1124 pounds), corros...ives and caustics (367 pounds), chlorine products (94 pounds), flammable liquids (722 pounds), antifreeze (633 pounds), reactive solids (140 pounds), mercury (9 pounds), cleaners (471 pounds), putty and adhesives (720 pounds), aerosols (495 pounds), fire extinguishers (9 pounds), propane (7 pounds), aluminum paint (55 pounds), smoke detectors (34 pounds), isocyanates (26 pounds) and freon cylinders (5 pounds). We are already planning to hold the 2021 event on Saturday, Aug. 28....it's not to early to make a note on your 2021 calendar!

As a reminder, the community recycling center will be closed all week because the parking lot is being paved. We will open next Monday, Sept. 21, at our regular time of 10 a.m. Please share this information as we have had a lot of people stop by today wanting to recycle. We appreciate your patience and patronage. Thank you!

***** CLOSED the week of September 14-18, 2020 ****** We will be getting our parking lot paved next week so the Community Recycling Center will be closed from September 14th to 18th. This includes the drive-thru and all deliveries. If you have any questions, please call 834-4886 or 776-5373. Thank you for your understanding. Please Share !!!

We had a record number of residents show up for this year's annual Household Hazardous Waste collection, held this past Saturday. Once we have tonnage figures we'll share them here. We will also set the date for 2021 very soon. A big thank you to everyone who participated and to our contractor, EEI, who did a tremendous job!

Remember, Saturday's collection is for household hazardous waste only. Please do not bring traditional recycling (paper, plastic, cardboard, cans) or electronics. This collection is specifically for hazardous household materials such as poisons, gas mixes, automotive fluids, chemicals, etc. Any questions, just message or call us!

Remember, this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon we will offer a one-day household hazardous waste collection here at the community recycling center. There is still plenty of time to look through the garage, the basement, or under the sink for poisonous or toxic products you no longer use or want. Old gasoline, gas mixes, antifreeze, and other automotive fluids are some common items brought in for proper disposal. Please note, this collection is for households only.