New Recycling Opportunities in Hilliard

One of the primary goals of the Hilliard Environmental Sustainability Commission (ESC) is to promote recycling in our community, thereby reducing the amount of waste material sent to the landfill. To this end, a new recycling station is now located at the main entrance of the Hilliard Community Center that accepts hard to recycle waste. Acceptable items include:

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  New recycling center design and built by ESC member Ed Cheshire

  Natural care products (mouthwash bottles and caps, toothbrushes, deodorant containers and caps, soap packaging, floss containers, and toothpaste tubes and caps).

• Household batteries (no button batteries please).
• Candy wrappers.
• Christmas light strings.

Please note that we are no longer accepting bottle caps/lids.

Our ability to recycle natural care products stems from the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Recycling Program established by Terracycle. Even though this program is sponsored by Tom’s of Maine, the natural care products collected do not need to be brand-specific. Additionally, the packaging does not need to be cleaned. However, Terracycle requests that we remove as much product as possible before shipping. So please squeeze those toothpaste tubes until you can’t get any more product out! If interested, please visit this link for more common questions and answers to the Tom’s of Maine program.

https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/toms-of-maine/brigade_faqs

Both markers and candy wrappers are recycled through other Terracycle programs.  With Halloween coming up, be sure to save all those wrappers and snack packs so that they can be turned into cool products like picnic tables and benches!

String lights are recycled through a Goodwill Industries work program.  Batteries are taken to the SWACO household hazardous waste facility operated by Environmental Enterprises Incorporated.

So when you have a few items ready to be recycled, bring them to the Hilliard Community Center at 3800 Veterans Memorial Drive, and we will make sure they get recycled.  Also, stay tuned to the Go Green Hilliard and City of Hilliard social media accounts as new collections will be added.

A special thanks is given to ESC members Ed Cheshire for building the recycling station and Maggie Willis who developed the signage, and also Geoff Dew with the Hilliard Recreation and Parks Department for overseeing the recycle station placement and maintenance at the community center.

This effort is another way the City of Hilliard is working hard to become a model community for sustainable practices.

Greg Smith is a member of the Hilliard Environmental Sustainability Commission