Reduce, reuse, recycle: this is the basis of Earth Day, which this year is Friday 22 April. People who follow these principles help save natural resources, save energy and water, and save money in the process.
Here’s a guide on how to responsibly discard many of the more complicated household items.
Start by asking yourself if you need an item, from a new shirt or shoes to furniture, and considering its packaging.
Reuse what you can
The next step is to decide whether an item can be reused, whether it be repurposed or given to someone who can use it. The Bloomington branch of freecycle.org is an option. Find out more at https://bit.ly/3uVxPrR.
Habitat for Humanity’s Restore, at 850 S. Auto Mall Road, accepts donations of softly used household items during business hours. People should send photos of potential large items and locker set donations to gifts@monroecountyhabitat.org before donating them. Go to www.monroecountyhabitat.org/restore/ to see which articles are not accepted.
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Bloomington’s three Goodwill stores at 512 S. College Mall Road, 1284 Liberty Drive and 220 S. Madison St. accept clothing, homewares, books and electronics. Donations must be made during opening hours and not left outside unattended. For more information, visit www.goodwillindy.org.
What to do with working electronics, toys, books, tools
People can drop off household items, including microwaves, toasters, radios, fans, clothes, toys, household items, books, magazines, kitchen utensils, gardening tools and supplies at the downtown mall Monroe County Solid Waste Recycling Center at 3400 S. Walnut St. 7:30 am to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday.
Costumes, clothes and soft toys, painting
Clothing items such as costumes, coats, and shoes in good condition are accepted for the waste district arts supplies, including in downtown South Walnut Street. Small and medium-sized stuffed animals are accepted in good condition and the trading post offers a color swap.
Not accepted at the exchange station
Large items, including mattresses, clothing, toilets, building materials, doors, windows, televisions, computers, large electronic devices, tires, trash, and items that no longer work are not accepted at the downtown shopping station county recycling center.
Clean, usable mattresses and other large household items
St. Vincent De Paul accepts mattresses (bug-free and not king-size) and sprung mattresses, sofas, chairs, dressers, microwaves, lamps, tables, flat screen televisions, vacuum cleaners, electric washers and dryers, fans, refrigerators, stoves, stoves and window air conditioners. All items must be clean and in good condition. Donations can be delivered on Saturdays from 8 to 11 at N. Packing House Road 1999. The center carries out the free collection. For more information, call 812-961-1510 or visit https://www.svdpbloomington.org/.
Recycle if possible
Recycling is the third component, and both Bloomington and Monroe County residents have options.
Which basket? The City of Bloomington has a recycling decision-making tool
Bloomington recycling is collected weekly on the sidewalk in the residences along with the trash. City recycling is a single stream, which means that all recyclable materials – metal, cans, glass, paper and cardboard – are placed in a cart provided by the city.
To see if an item can be recycled, the city has a link on its website. Go to https://bit.ly/3McUfdO, type in your address and then click on recycle and type the item to see if it can be recycled in your trash.
What not to put in the recycling bin?
Plastic packaging, bubble wrap, dry cleaning bags, plastic lids, plastic straws or plastic bags are not accepted. Wood, cat litter, paint, plastic flower pots, wire hangers, wax and plastic coated boxes and pizza boxes are not accepted.
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The city offers the collection of large items
Anyone with a mattress, furniture, grills, stoves, dehumidifiers, treadmills, and other similar items can call and schedule a pickup on Thursday. The cost is $ 10 per item with the charge added to the resident’s bill. Call 812-349-3443.
Monroe County offers 5 recycling centers
Monroe County residents can recycle items at the five Monroe County Waste Management District Recycling Centers, which have paper and cardboard containers (must be dry); plastic (1-7, must be clean and dry, without plastic film or polystyrene); glass (must be clean and dry, without tempered glass); and metal, from food and beverage cans to dishwashers and microwaves.
For recycling center locations, visit www.gogreendistrict.com/.
Televisions, computers, telephones, including non-functioning electronic devices
The County Waste District offers year-round collection of electronic devices. For items with a 7-inch or larger screen, a $ 20 per item fee is charged; all other electronics are free.
Disposal of large items outside the city of Bloomington
The Monroe County Solid Waste District Bulky Bin rotates between rural recycling centers. Go to gogreendistrict.com/calendar to see where the trash can currently is and what’s accepted as well. Items must come from Monroe County residents, not contractors or businesses.
Hazardous materials, medicines, batteries
Cleaning products, automotive products, over-the-counter medicines, pesticides and fertilizers, propane cylinders, batteries, and flammable liquids are accepted at the waste district’s South Walnut Street Hazardous Waste Facility.
Cook Medical E-Waste Recycling Day
Cook Medical’s annual E-Waste Recycling Day will be held April 30 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at 500 N. Profile Parkway on the west side of Bloomington. There is no cost to people to recycle electronic waste.
Accepted items include phone systems, refrigerators, freezers, car seats (upholstery and fabric removed), air conditioners, personal computers, laptops / notebooks, dehumidifiers, desktop computers and CPUs, CRT monitors (no exposed CRT tubes), mainframe computers , scanners, printers, fax machines, photocopiers, toner cartridges, Christmas lights, washing machines and dryers, microwave ovens, floppy disks and thumb drivers, electronic motors, televisions, integrated circuits, computer mice, microphones, computer keyboards, VCRs / players DVD / CD, game systems (XBox, Nintendo, Playstation), power supplies, surge protectors, computer cards, copiers, cash registers and satellite computers. Dead batteries or light bulbs will not be accepted.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com, 812-331-4359 or @ckugler on Twitter.