Brookhaven residents looking to recycle can still pick up containers at the city barn, according to Brookhaven Recycles volunteer Linda Moak.

She said there are about 250 35-gallon recycling containers Brookhaven residents can pick up at the facility on Willard Street. According to Moak, all people need to bring is proof of residence to pick up a container.

Moak said the city’s recycling efforts have been successful since ramping up in the past couple years.

“All the city schools now have 95-gallon containers,” Moak said. “Mamie Martin and Brookhaven Elementary this year got individual 18-gallon containers for the classrooms to help promote that program in the classroom.”

In the past, the program had problems with recycling being contaminated with non-recyclables, but Moak said since they’ve begun rolling out curbside containers, it hasn’t been an issue.

“We no longer have that large recycling container at the fire station. We just have curbside recycling, which is going very well. All the parks and tennis courts in the downtown area have 65-gallon containers that will collect plastic bottles and cans.

“Curbside recycling is pretty clean. Very little re-
port of any contamination. Once somebody does that with their blue container, they’re obviously pretty educated about what can be recycled, and are trying to make an effort to recycle properly.”

The recycling program can handle plastic bottles and jugs with the PETE No. 1 and HDPE No. 2 symbols on them, metal cans, paper, cardboard and magazines. Brookhaven Recycles cautions that it cannot recycle plastic bags, glass, Styrofoam, soiled paper, chemical containers, electronics, garden hoses, lawn chairs, garbage cans or any plastics without the PETE No. 1 or HDPE No. 2 symbols.

While Brookhaven Recycles can’t take electronics, many electronics are recyclable.

“I would just encourage people to go online and research what’s going on nation-wide,” Moak said. “A lot of companies will recycle those products if you give them the opportunity to.”