Town Code Chapter 112, Article III (Recycling) makes source separation MANDATORY: residents, businesses, and all generators of solid waste must separate recyclables before delivering to a solid waste facility or before pickup by a hauler. Licensed haulers MUST accept newspaper, corrugated cardboard, SPI #1-#7 plastic containers, metal containers, and glass containers. The Town also runs a free Residential Recyclables Drop-Off Station at the Environmental Services site. State authority: NY ECL §27-2105 (state recycling mandate) and ECL Article 27 generally.
Colonie's recycling program is one of the more robust in NY because the Town operates its own municipal landfill and has clear diversion incentives. Town Code Chapter 112, Article III (Recycling) mandates source separation: residents, businesses, and all other generators of solid waste shall separate recyclables from the solid waste stream prior to delivering the same to a solid waste management facility, or prior to pickup by a solid waste hauler. This is a true mandate, not a voluntary program - it parallels NY ECL §27-2105 (the state-level recycling statute under the Solid Waste Management Act). Each of the licensed haulers (Allied Waste / Republic Services 518-785-7030; County Waste & Recycling 518-877-7007) is required under their Town Clerk hauler's-license terms to accept: old newspaper, corrugated cardboard, plastic containers SPI Code #1 through #7, metal containers (aluminum cans, steel food cans), and glass containers. This is a broader plastics acceptance than many NY municipalities, which typically accept only #1 PET and #2 HDPE. The Town also operates a free Residential Recyclables Drop-Off Station at the Division of Environmental Services site with roll-off containers for commingled fibers (paper, cardboard) and commingled containers (plastic, glass, metal). The Drop-Off Station is intended for residents who want to bring recyclables in directly rather than route them through their hauler. The Municipal Recycling Center (https://www.townofcolonie.gov/departments/envservices/municipal-recycling-center) processes the Town's recyclable stream and is a regional asset. Contamination rule: do NOT bag recyclables - place loose. Plastic bags ('film plastic') jam materials-recovery-facility sorting equipment. Rinse food residue from containers. Compostable plastics do not belong in recycling. Authority: Chapter 112 Art III; NY ECL §27-2105; NY ECL Article 27 (Solid Waste).
Failure to source-separate recyclables under Chapter 112 Art III is a violation of the Town Code and may also implicate NY ECL §27-2105 (state recycling mandate) enforced by DEC. Haulers that fail to accept the mandated recyclable categories (newspaper, cardboard, #1-#7 plastics, metal, glass) violate their Town Clerk hauler's-license terms and risk license revocation under Chapter 112. Contamination of recyclables (plastic bags in commingled containers, food-soaked cardboard, non-recyclables) can result in load rejection by the materials-recovery facility, with the cost charged back through the hauler. Persistent visible blight from improperly stored recyclables is enforced under Chapter 62 Art IV with $500/$750/$1,000 civil penalties (Building Dept 518-783-2706). State backstop: NY ECL §27-2105 carries DEC enforcement; NY ECL §71-2727 sets civil penalties up to $15,000 per violation per day for ECL §27 solid-waste violations.
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