I read your “Earth Matters” column printed May 22 and would appreciate some clarification regarding the Town of North Hempstead’s curbside recycling program.
Columnist Hildur Palsdottir mentioned that only plastics marked as types 1 and 2 were accepted by the Town of North Hempstead for recycling. I had no idea that this was the case.
Back in 2013, our elected officials made a big deal about the town expanding its recycling program to also include plastics marked as types 4, 5 and 6. From what I can tell, although the town has recently released recycling guides that only mention types 1 and 2, there was never any formal announcement that the recycling program had been rolled back.
In fact, in its most recent curbside trash and recycling guide (revised 12/26/2019), the company that the town has contracted to pick up trash and recycling from my neighborhood still lists plastics 4, 5 and 6 as “mandatory” recyclables.
I understand town officials are likely not proud that they had to roll back this expanded recycling initiative, but a simple press release making it clear when the change took effect would have been appreciated.
Perhaps someone from the town’s Solid Waste Management Authority could write in and confirm, once and for all, what types of plastics are currently accepted for curbside recycling. I’m sure our environmentally conscious residents would greatly appreciate it.
Matthew Zeidman
New Hyde Park
