Monroe County residents, including households in the city of Rochester, are now able to put paper and most plastic to-go cups in their curbside recycling.
Officials announced the expansion of the program Friday during a news conference at the Monroe County Recycling Center on Lee Road at the city of Rochester's edge. Households can start putting the cups in the recycling immediately.
"This expansion will keep thousands of cups out of landfills and give them a new life as valuable, reusable materials," said Michael Garland, the county's director of environmental services.
Garland said the expansion was made possible by two things: optical sensing equipment installed at the recycling center by its operator, Waste Management, and the existence of a market for the products.
Bello said that one of the most common problems in recycling is "wishcycling." It's exactly what it sounds like — people toss things in their recycling bins without seeing whether the county accepts them, in the hope that the items will be recycled.
In reality, he said, wishcycling contaminates the recycling stream and slows down processing.
"The more things that we can have be able to put through the recycling center and allow our residents to recycle curbside, the better it is for the entire system," Bello said.
Officials emphasized that the cups should be empty and clean, and the lids should be placed back on them so they get recycled, too. Paper sleeves are also recyclable. Straws and stirrers, however, go in the trash.
They also warned that colored plastic party cups — think games of beer pong — are not recyclable.
So what will happen to the cups that arrive at the Recycling Center?
"Paper cups are going to be recycled into tissue, paper towels, recycled containerboard," Bello said. "Clear and white plastic to-go cups, they get made into household items such as plastic paint cans, buckets and recycling, or even trash bins.
"So I encourage all our residents to join me in giving these everyday ... products a second life."
