Waste Management

Battery Recycling:

Alkaline household batteries (i.e. AA, AAA, C, D, 9v) The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has determined that alkaline household batteries (i.e. AA, AAA, C, D, 9v) can be disposed of safely with your regular household garbage. Consequently battery collection bins have been removed from schools, recreation facilities, and government buildings.
Nickel/cadmium/mercury batteries (hearing aids, watches, cell phones, computers, etc.) should not be placed in the garbage. These batteries can also be dropped off at the Town’s Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (STOP) Facility at the Landfill on Horseblock Rd. in Yaphank at no fee.
or...
Contact your local electronics or appliance store for drop-off locations
or...
Access the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corportion or Earth 911 on line for the drop-off locations closest to your zip code:

Computer/Electronics Recycling:

TV’s
VCR’s/DVD players
projectors, camcorders
radios/stereos
PDA’s
pagers
phones/cell phones
answering machines
fax machines
copiers
calculators

electronic typewriters
computers
laptops
servers
mainframes
monitors
printers
scanners
routers
hubs
modems

keyboards
cables
computer mice
hard drives
CD ROMs
circuit boards
power supplies
backup batteries
Gameboys® and
other handheld
electronic toys

Businesses / Schools / Institutions

Businesses, schools and other institutions can recycle a variety of items for a fee (see list below) at the Brookhaven Town Landfill on Horseblock Road in Yaphank. Drop-off hours are:

Saturdays: 8 a.m. - Noon
Weekdays: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

A fee of $80.00 per ton ($.04 per lb.) will be charged, which equates to approximately $1.50 for a computer monitor. Businesses or institutions planning to recycle excessive amounts of electronic equipment should contact the Town of Brookhaven Waste Management Department in advance of delivery.

Residents

If residents type in their zip code, these sites provide alternative electronics drop-off locations:

Also for PC computers, residents can call LINCT at 631-728-9100

Brookhaven Town Landfill
Residents can recycle a variety of items at no cost (see list below) at the Brookhaven Town Landfill on Horseblock Road in Yaphank. Drop-off hours are:

Saturdays: 8 a.m. - Noon
Weekdays: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To offer or obtain usable items for free or at minimal cost:

http://www.freecycle.org/(western Suffolk)
http://www.materialsresourcecenter.org/ (Holbrook)
http://www.hfhsuffolk.org/ Habitat for Humanity ReStore (643 Middle Country Rd., Middle Island)

About Your Department of Waste Management...

Waste management policies follow a proscribed hierarchy of importance, emphasizing recovery over disposal as follows:

Waste Reduction
Reuse and Recycling
Resource Recovery (incineration with energy recovery)*
Landfilling

Waste reduction and recycling programs include:

Curbside collection and drop-off of mandatory recyclables including scrap metal and appliances
Drop-off collection of additional recyclables such as electronics, used motor oil and vehicle/boat batteries
Yard waste collection, composting and mulching
A Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (STOP) facility for safe disposal and reuse of household hazardous wastes
An education program promoting waste reduction techniques in homes and businesses.

Recycling is mandatory in both the public sector and the private sector. The Town operates a state-of-the-art Materials Recycling Facility at the Landfill in Yaphank.

*The Town no longer buries raw garbage in the Landfill. Garbage brought to the Waste Management Facility in Yaphank is transferred to the Hempstead Resource Recovery Facility in Nassau County. There it’s burned in an incinerator equipped with modern pollution control devices. Electricity is generated from the energy released in the burning process. In return, the Town accepts incinerator ash generated by the plant, and landfills it.

The Department of Waste Management oversees:

The Waste Management Facility in Yaphank, including the landfill, the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), the STOP building for household hazardous wastes, a transfer station, and a Residential Drop-off Site for garbage and recyclables
Management of the Manorville Composting Site
Management of residential district collection contracts
Special collection of odd bulk items and scrap metal from residences
Roadside cleanup and abandoned building demolition
Public information on recycling and waste management for residents, businesses, schools, and institutions throughout the Town.
Town code enforcement as it applies to waste management

Collection:

1-, 2-, and 3-family private homes:
The Town contracts with private carters to collect garbage, yard waste and recyclables.
Incorporated villages, condos, co-ops, multi-family housing units:
Town codes apply to these sectors; however, collection must be contracted privately.
Businesses, schools, and institutions:
Town codes apply to these sectors; however, collection must be contracted privately.