Beginning Oct. 1, North Haven will switch to single-stream recycling, according to a Sept. 24 Town Hall press release.

Single-stream recycling is intended to expedite the residential recycling process – North Haven residents will no longer have to sort items within their green recycling bins. The bins can simply be filled indiscriminately with all acceptable recyclable items.

The move should save the town in waste disposal fees and increase residential recycling.

“Every ton of disposables that North Haven recycles is a ton of waste that North Haven does not have to pay for as trash at the Wallingford facility,” said First Selectman Janet McCarty in the release. “Single-stream recycling will help recover and re-use valuable materials. Many communities have significantly increased their recycling volumes within a year of beginning their single-stream recycling programs.”

Department of Public Works Director Lynn Sadosky said that it costs the town approximately $36 a ton to ship recyclables to the transfer station in New Haven, while it costs approximately $65 a ton to ship trash to the Wallingford incinerator facility.

Sadosky added that the recycling modification will not affect North Haven’s recycling center on Elm Street.

“The days and hours of operation will stay the same,” she said. “The center will also continue to collect grass clippings and leaves, and folks can still bring their recycling right there.”

According to the press release, North Haven has contracted its disposal of recyclable materials to the New Haven transfer station on Middletown Avenue. New Haven commenced arrangements in August 2009 with its contractor, Willimantic Waste, to begin single-stream recycling efforts at no increased cost to North Haven.

Not only will the change not cost North Haven any additional fees, but it should also not affect recycling on a local level.

“We have been busy retrofitting our recycling trucks for collection purposes and assessing needs where containers, recycling routes, and pick-up schedules are concerned,” Sadosky said. “At this time, no changes to recycling routes or pick-up schedules are anticipated.”

In single-stream recycling, the mixed contents of green bins are dumped into a conveyer belt at sorting stations, Sadosky said. Workers will then sort through the recyclables and separate the items to be sent to different waste streams.

Acceptable recycling items include certain clear plastic containers, glass bottles and jars, metal cans, clean aluminum foil and pie plates, empty steel aerosol cans, paperboard packages and mixed paper, newspapers and inserts, and corrugated cardboard.

There are several definitions and specifications to be followed for the acceptable items.

The codes for clear plastic bottles should be checked before recycling, as only containers labeled one through seven are acceptable. Additionally, all bottle caps should be removed before the bottles are placed in the bins.

Acceptable empty steel aerosol cans include spent shaving cream and hair spray containers.

Mixed paper is defined as non-newspaper and non-corrugated cardboard, including advertising mail, catalogues, magazines, telephone books, all white and colored paper, and cereal containers that have been rinsed clean and flattened.

Newspapers and inserts should be separated from mixed paper, by being placed in a brown paper bag on top or to the side of the green bin.

Corrugated cardboard can include cardboard with the three-layered wavy edge. All boxes should be flattened, cut and folded, and tied with string where necessary.

However, there are also many items that are not acceptable for stream-line recycling.

Residents should not place dishes, light bulbs, ceramics, window glass, Pyrex, or mirrors into their green bins. Juice boxes, plastic toys, plastic utensils, and motor oil containers are also not allowed.

Cardboard pizza boxes should not be recycled, Sadosky said, because they are considered to be contaminated by food stains. Sadosky added that pizza boxes are typically separated from the rest of the cardboard at sorting stations, and then thrown away.

Also unacceptable for stream-line recycling are pots and pans, coat hangers, empty paint cans, tissues, napkins, the plastic liners of boxes, Styrofoam egg cartons, un-flattened boxes, waxed cardboard, and packing materials.

Residents should also refrain from recycling colored plastic containers, as well as plastic bags, which can be reused or returned to grocery stores for recycling.

Residents should continue to place their green bin at the curb the night before their regular refuse and recycling collection day, according to the press release. North Haven sanitation and recycling collection services are available to single and multi-family residents and government institutions. Such services are not available for condominiums, apartments, and commercial and industrial facilities.

New green recycling bins are available at the Department of Public Works, 5 Linsley St. According to the press release, if a resident’s bin is broken, they should bring it to the Department of Public Works to be replaced at no charge. The old, broken bins are recycled into materials such as plastic lumber, and are used to make park benches and school playground equipment, according to the press release.

The Department of Public Works will also be mailing a flyer to each resident regarding stream-line recycling and the North Haven recycling center.

Sadosky hopes that the easier and less time-consuming means of recycling will increase recycling among North Haven residents.

“We want to encourage any and all recycling,” she said.

For more information, contact the Department of Public Works at (203) 239-5321, ext. 750.