Feb 1, 2001

This biweekly column tries to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about recycling, composting and the Town's solid waste program.

Q: Can I put hearing aid batteries into the trash?

A: No, they contain zinc and must be treated as hazardous. Put them into the bin at Theatre Camera, or hold onto them and take them to the Household Hazardous waste collection. The first one this year will be April 28th.

Q: If Pay as You Throw passes, will we be given additional recycle bins?

A: The Town Manager has proposed that additional free bins be provided to residents when PAYT starts, but plans for this are not yet final. It is possible to buy additional bins from the DPW barn at 201 Bedford Street for $6.00, but it isn't necessary to have an "official" bin. If you have extra brown grocery bags of newspapers, for example, you can lean them against the bin. You can use other open-top containers, such as crates or laundry baskets. Remember to keep your recycling separated from your trash by some space (the DPW suggests eight feet).

Q: I have a TV that no longer works. What can I do with it?

A: The town's next collection day for CRTs will be in April. Working computers or TVs can be donated to Goodwill.

Q: I bought cherry tomatoes in a plastic container labeled #6. Can I put it into the recycle bin?

A: No. Currently the recycling program does not accept any plastic item with numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.

Q: There are lots of different kinds of things that we can recycle. What's the most efficient way to put them into the bin?

A: The recycling truck only has two hoppers for the goods picked up at the curb.

(1) Paper (newspaper, office paper, junk mail, cardboard, telephone books)

(2) Other (cans, bottles, #1 & #2 plastic containers)

The recycling facility sorts out the non-paper items at their end. A good way to pack your bin is to put everything but the paper into the bin first, loose. Don't put the items from category (2) into bags of any kind. After that, add the brown grocery bag(s) of paper, or lean these bags against the bin if there is no room inside. If the total weight is too heavy for you, this method of loading the bin also makes it easier to carry outside, as you can carry the bin first and then the bags of paper.

Remember that no plastic bags should ever be in the recycle bin.

Got a question or a suggestion? You can reach us by calling the League of Women Voters line at 861-0123 or by email at lexrecycles@hotmail.com. For more information, check out the SWAT web page at

http://www.lexingtonma.org/swat/HomePage.htm