Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Trash and Recycling
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Dumpsters are located in each parking lot for residents to dispose of trash and recycling materials.

If the dumpsters are full in your parking lot on the rare occasion, please take your trash or recyclables to an adjacent location.

See the following sections for more information:
Trash
Bulk Waste
Single Stream Recycling
CFL/ Fluorescent Tubes Recycling
Electronics Recycling
Christmas Tree Recycling
Trash
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Trash is picked up on Tuesday and Thursdays.

Please ensure all trash is placed in the dumpsters. 

Do not send your children to put trash in the dumpster if they are not big enough to lift the dumpster lid and place the garbage inside.

Never leave trash outside your door.  Despite it being unsightly to your neighbors, visiting guests and perspective homeowners, it is a health hazard and attracts bugs and animals.  Animals may rip the garbage bag open and spread garbage throughout the breezeway.  Residents who leave trash outside their door will be fined.
Bulk Waste
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Bulk waste includes items that are heavy or won't fit in the dumpster.  This might include furniture, mattresses, and appliances.  If possible, you should break down and place these items in the dumpster.

Bulk waste is typically picked up on Fridays.

Bulk waste should be placed NEXT to the dumpster, but NOT LEANING on the dumpster, and NOT IN FRONT of the dumpster.  If the bulk waste is placed in front of the dumpster, the garbage trucks can not easily pickup the trash and the driver must get out to move it or they may skip picking up the trash at that location.  Keep in mind that since bulk waste is only picked up once a week, there may be up to 5 garbage collections before the bulk waste is picked up.  Also do not lean the bulk waste on the dumpster because when the dumpster is tipped back to the truck, the bulk waste will fall into the dumpster location and will be trapped under the dumpster leaving an unsightly mess and difficult for the bulk waste people to remove.

Residents are strongly encouraged to have appliances recycled by the company delivering the new appliances.  All refridgerator/freezer doors must be removed by law.

Residents are encouraged to only put out bulk waste as close as possible to the pick-up day so it is not sitting out there for any longer then it needs to.
Single Stream Recycling
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Single Stream Recycling allows residents to deposit various types of recyclable items into one dumpster without having to sort it into separate bins.  The recycling dumpsters are indicated with a yellow stripe around the top and have recycling information stickers located on them.

Recycling is picked up on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, except for holidays.

Please collapse all corrugated cardboard boxes so it doesn't unnecessarily fill up the recycling containers.

The following lists items that can and cannot be placed into the single stream recycling containers:

ACCEPTABLE ITEMS
OK to Place into Recycling Dumpsters
UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS
Must be Placed into Trash Dumpsters
  • Plastic bottles/containers (1-5,7)
  • Magazines
  • Office Paper
  • Brown Paper Bags
  • Flattened Cardboard
  • Paperboard (i.e. cereal boxes)
  • Newspapers
  • Junk Mail
  • Phone Books
  • Glass Bottles/Jars
  • Aluminum Cans
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Pie Tins
  • Steel Cans
  • Empty Aerosol Cans
  • Plastic Bags
  • Garbage
  • Styrofoam
  • Light Bulbs
  • Carbon Paper
  • Facial Tissue/Toilet Paper
  • Paper Towels/Napkins
  • Plastic containers with 6
  • Clothing
  • Drinking Glasses
  • Hazardous Waste (please contact county for proper disposal method)

  
CFL/ Fluorescent Tubes
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The EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local options for recycling Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL's), other fluorescent bulbs and all household hazardous wastes rather than disposing of them in regular household trash.  CFL's contain mercury which is a health hazard.  If CFL's are thrown into the garbage mercury could make it's way into the food chain.

  • Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment.  CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs often break when thrown into a dumpster, trash can or compactor, or when they end up in a landfill or incinerator. Learn more about CFLs and mercury.
  • Other materials in the bulbs get reused.  Recycling CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs allows the reuse of the glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights. Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb can be recycled.
Home Depot recycles CFL's (as well as rechargeable batteries).

You can recycle Fluorescent tubes (typically used in the Kitchen light fixture) at the Middlesex Country Electronics Recycling center.  See next section for more information.

Please also note that the original thermostats installed in Ravens Crest East contain mercury and should be disposed of at the Middlesex Country Electronics Recycling center.
Electronics Recycling
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Consumer electronics contain many valuable or hazardous components that often can be recycled. The Electronic Waste Management Act made e-waste a mandated recyclable in 2011.  The act prohibits e-waste from being placed in residential garbage and ending up in landfills.  Some electronics retailers will allow customers to drop off certain types of electronics, even if they didn't buy it from the store (i.e., Best Buy and Staples).  You should call ahead to ensure they take certain electronics.  Do not leave at RCE dumpsters!

You can recycle Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) and rechargeable batteries at retailers such as Home Depot.

Middlesex County no longer offers the electronics recycling program and instead directs consumers to stores or township programs.  

Plainsboro Township collects e-Waste during the bulk waste days (4 times a year) located at the Recycling/Conservation center off of Grovers Mill Road.

2016 Dates:  April 2    June 11    August 6    November 5

E-Waste (not a complete list): computer equipment (including CPUs, monitors, keyboards, scanners, modems, printers, and cables), TVs, VCRs, telephones, irons, fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent bulbs, thermostats, and thermometers containing mercury


Best Buy Recycling
Christmas Tree Recycling
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Plainsboro Township will collect discarded Christmas trees during the month of January once a week.  The trees will be mulched and used in the township.

Discarded trees should be located NEXT to the dumpsters with all decorations removed.

A notice will be posted in the breezeway with more details in early January.
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