Reduce. Reuse. Recycle… then Throw Away.

A visit to Brookhaven’s landfill will convince you, if not already, of the importance of the above adage. Nearing it’s peak capacity, this mountain of trash reinforces how we all should be doing our part to reduce waste. Besides being the right thing to do for our society, it is the law.

• Buying 2 liter soda bottles instead of a 1/2 case of cans (for one, its cheaper)
• Do not buy bottled water
• Do not accept plastic bags at any store. Bring your own canvas bags.
• Look for foods with less packaging (buy in bulk or go to farmers market in Port Jeff)
• Use synthetic oil in your car and extend oil changes to every 10-15k miles
• Patronize businesses that use recyclable or biodegradable wrappings

• Use empty jars and containers for storing leftovers or in the workshop or for wrapping gifts
• Use the backside of printed paper for notes
• Donate clothing and books to charities such as Big Brother
• Donate household items to Habitat ReStore
• Use that empty dog food bag as a trash bag in your can, instead of filling another trash bag with that bag

Recycling goes beyond putting items in a can at the curb once a week:

• Take lawn trimmings and leaves and return them to natural areas on your lot
• Feed pets (and chickens) leftovers instead of putting in landfill or septic systems

For glass, plastic and paper recycles, village residents contract directly with 3rd party “carters” of their choice. Bianculli Sanitation is one of the major vendors in the village and the below information reflects Bianculli’s practices.

Residents are billed directly by Bianculli for their service. This includes curbside pickup service unless residents arrange for “back door” service for an added fee. The residents must provide their own bins.

Bianculli picks up trash on Mondays and Thursdays, while recycles are picked up on Wednesdays in an alternating weekly format per the below recycling calendar.
Note that in the Town of Brookhaven it is illegal to discard metal in your trash. Unfortunately, Bianculli does not take recycle metal. However, metal can be collected separately on site, and taken to one of several recycling facilities in the area. Note, they pay money for the metal!

New York State’s website is a great source for additional information on reduce, reuse, and recycle. NYS Recycling and Composting. Here is a DEC brochure on recycling hazardous household materials: DEC Recycling Brochure. Also, here is trash and recycling guide from the Town of Brookhaven (good for general recycling info, but schedule does not apply to Old Field residents): Brookhaven Recycling Guide.

• Typical Household Alkaline Batteries (AA, AAA, 9V, D & C) – Ideally a metal recycling center, otherwise regular trash
• Car Lead Batteries – Required by law to take to metal recycling center (pays around $10), or auto retail store
• Rechargeable Batteries (tools, computers, cell phone, etc) – Required by law to take to recycling center or home improvement store / retailer

This is the default schedule. Note that when a pickup date falls on a federal holiday, that pickup will occur on the following day.