MIDDLETOWN – The City of Middletown has been cited by Orange County with having poor recycling because too much of what residents are putting out on the curb as recyclable actually has regular garbage mixed in.
City Public Works Commissioner Jacob Tawil said that costs the city an additional expense.
“The bottom line is if it is contaminated, recyclables are going to be thrown out. It will end up costing us more money because we are handling it twice. We pick it up as recyclables, we take it and then we pick it back up again and then we take it as municipal solid waste,” he said, noting the county will not accept contaminated recyclables.
Officials note that while their used to be a market to sell recyclables, municipalities must now pay to dispose of them.
