We recycle

To the Editor:

I would like to thank Mr. Jay Card, superintendent of the Highway Department, for his encouraging words of support about the importance of recycling (“Highway super pushes for carters to follow the rules for recyclables,” September 20, 2012). I am a strong advocate of recycling and I appreciate the cooperation of not only my customers but the town as well. Each week, my company, Shelter Island Sanitation, Inc. DBA Dan’s Carting & Recycling, brings thousands of pounds of recyclables (plastic, glass, aluminum, cardboard) to the Shelter Island Recycling Center.

I would like to set the record straight about recycling laws. If anyone has been informed that it is alright to mix wet trash and recyclables because it can go to a “separation plant,” they have been misguided. Firstly, New York State law (GML Sec. 120-aa) prohibits the co-mingling of household trash and recyclables.

Secondly, according to the DEC, no materials recovery facility, a.k.a. “separation plant,” exists or is permitted on Long Island.

The New York State Law “requires that solid waste that is left for collection … shall be separated into recyclable, reusable or other components.” Local governments are required to implement and enforce this law and I am glad that Mr. Card has acknowledged that he is on board. I am honest and sincere about my company’s policies and I try to provide affordable garbage and recycling removal. I only serve the Island residents and I am grateful for their continued patronage and support.

Recently, I have felt pressure from another garbage company. Competition among businesses is healthy but I am disheartened that many Islanders are not investigating the procedures of this company.

I have grown up on the Island and resided here most of my life. Because of this, I care deeply about the community and environment of Shelter Island. I ask you, not as a representative of Dan’s Carting & Recycling, but as a fellow citizen of the Island, please look behind the scenes of both garbage companies before choosing one.

DAN BINDER

Shelter Island

Editor’s Note: Jon DiVello, who operates Shelter Island Environmental Service, the other major carter on the Island, said he complies with all town and state laws pertaining to the handling of both wet garbage and recyclables. See this week’s story on page 4. —Ed.