Recycling of Items that are not accepted curbside (list subject to change)

PAPER PRODUCTS

Newspapers: the Hood River Lions Club has trailers in the Safeway and Rosauers parking lots in Hood River. The Mid-Columbia Special Olympics has a drop box in Safeway and Albertson's parking lots in The Dalles , as well as at The Dalles Middle School. St. Peter's Pack 398 has a drop box at St. Mary's Academy in The Dalles.

Hardback books: in original condition, these can be donated to local used bookstores or secondhand stores, or can be transported to Far West Fibers at 4629 SE 17th in Portland. If the cover is removed and discarded, the remaining paper portion of the book can be put in with co-mingled recycling.

Confidential office paper and documents: a new service by Opportunity Connections in Hood River, Gorge Security Shred offers pickup and certified off-site shredding of documents locally. Call 541-490-7078. There are also several shredding companies based out of the Portland area that do on-site shredding in the gorge, such as Iron Mountain.

Postage stamps: used postage stamps are collected by the Town & County Bowling League in The Dalles and sent on to disabled veterans in White City OR for therapy and fund-raising purposes; drop off at Columbia Recreation Lanes (Note: in 2008 they collected 48 pounds of used postage stamps, the equivalent of 126,000 stamps!)

Priority Mail (Tyvek) Envelopes: Tyvek-brand envelopes, such as those used by Fed-Ex and for U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, can be shipped back to Tyvek for recycling. If you have fewer than 25, turn one of them inside out, then stuff it with the rest. Ship to: Terry Fife, Tyvek(r) Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Highway, Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234, (866)338-9835.

Wrapping paper/gift bags: reuse , "regift" or donate to charity if mixed paper/foil/glitter. Plain paper gift bags could go in with your co-mingled recycling if remove ribbons/bows/handles.

ELECTRONICS

Electronics "e-waste"
Hood River Garbage and The Dalles Disposal are sites for the Oregon E-Cycles electronics waste recycling program. Homeowners and small businesses/non-profits are able to bring up to 7 items/per day at no charge. Accepted are computer towers, laptop computers, computer monitors and televisions. Sherman County residents may bring these items to the transfer station above Biggs during its open hours, and The Dalles Disposal staff will haul the e-waste back to The Dalles for consolidation. Mel's Sanitary Service is not a certified Oregon E-Cycles site but will often accept these items from regular customers at their own discretion, and transport to The Dalles as able.

Old computers that could be rebuilt and donated to schools: Oregon StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology) takes drop-offs at their StRUT facility, 3855 Fifteen Mile Rd, The Dalles as well as at Hood River Valley High School the first Saturday of each month.

Printer toners and cartridges: First, save money by refilling inkjet cartridges a few times through ink-refill services offered by such providers as Rapid Refill Inc on Second Street in The Dalles, Walgreens stores, and Printpal.com (888-772-1361), CarrotInk.com (877-322-7768). Then take exhausted cartridges to Rapid Refill Inc, 601 W 2nd St or Staples on Mt Hood Street in The Dalles (Staples usually trades them for a $3-off store coupon). Postal Annex, 2149 W Cascade Suite 106-A, Hood River accepts toner cartridges they can refill. Check on-line options as well, for example, Freerecycle.com promises to pay up to $3.60 apiece for nearly 80 types of ink cartridges.

Cell phones: donate to local domestic violence prevention programs such as Haven in The Dalles (call 296-1662 or drop off at 420 E 3rd St suite 200) or Helping Hands in Hood River (call 386-4808 or drop off at 1341 Wasco St). Or return old cell phones to a cell phone retail store or to Hood River Garbage who has a fund-raising box in the front office for cell phones.

Rechargeable Batteries: the national Rechargeable Battery Recycling Organization (RBRC) has a drop site locator on its website, www.call2recycle.org, which currently includes Hood River businesses Fastenal and Paul Henne's TV & Stereo, and The Dalles businesses Fastenal, Home Depot, Radio Shack, Sawyers True Value, US Cellular and Wheeler's Communications, and in the US Forest Service/Barlow Ranger District in Dufur.

MP3 players/PDAs/digital cameras/business phones: check at your local office supply store; another option is that many of these types of items are accepted by Recycle for Breast Cancer, www.recycleforbreastcancer.org. Go on-line and request a free shipping label. Remember to turn in old Ipods at your local Apple store when you purchase a new one. A new local recycling effort started by Westside Elementary in Hood River: drop off cell phones, ink jet printer cartridges, MP2 players, digital cameras, digital video cameras, laptops, GPS devices, radar detectors, Kindle and Sony book readers (no accessories, batteries ok). This is a fundraiser, for more information www.ecophones.com.

DVD/VCR/office machines: some of these items can be recycled for scrap metal by StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology), contact their warehouse outside of The Dalles to see if they are able to take the item 541-296-2630

Videogames: check with local used videogame stores to see if taking any games, such as Gameopoly (check phone book for current address).

Appliances: refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, older dishwashers and water heaters are called "white goods". First, check with your retailer about recycling your old appliance when you purchase a new one. Appliance dealers in our area include: Ballinger Refrigeration & Appliance, 715 E 2nd St, The Dalles; Buckley's Gorge Appliance Service, The Dalles; Columbia Gorge 2nd Hand Store, 419 E 2nd, The Dalles; Pioneer Electric, 423 E 2nd, The Dalles; Paddock's Appliance & Electronics, 1120 12th St, Hood River; Tom's Appliance Service, Hood River. If in bad shape, discard at the transfer stations for a fee; the appliance will be broken down for scrap metal and the waste discarded. Refrigerant is moved by a certified technician.

Construction items
Building materials and fixtures: Habitat for Humanity ReStore on West Sixth St in The Dalles; Red's Trading Post, 2610 W 2nd, The Dalles; Gorge ReBuild-It Center, 995 Tucker Rd, Hood River.

Wood and greenery
Wood debris, pallets and trees: Hood River Garbage and The Dalles Disposal transfer stations accept yard debris for a disposal fee (Wednesday is "free yard debris day" at Hood River, April and November are "free yards debris" months in The Dalles). The Dalles Disposal also has a subscription program for yard debris pick-up. The woody material is ground and distributed locally for soil stabilization and coarse mulching use. D&Z Grinding of Hood River specializes in the management of waste wood materials in ways that reduce pollution and landfill usage. Their services include mobile grinding, processed wood materials hauling, and land clearing. After processing, wood waste can usually be reused in an environmentally beneficial use such as a soil amendment, mulch or cleaner burning biomass fuel. Dirt Hugger LLC is a company starting up regional composting in the Port area of The Dalles, watch for future details.

Leaves: best use is to compost them or shred then layer over your garden, leaves are full of minerals. Next best: take to the transfer station as yard debris, or set out on the curb in the fall in Hood River for the City to collect (check to see if City if offering the service)

Christmas trees and wreaths: these can be dropped off as yard debris at the transfer station. Also local community groups and local municipalities often have post-holiday free collections of this type of greenery. Watch for notices in local media.

Household items
Pop cans and water bottles: the Hood River Lions Club LEOs group does a collection on the first Saturday of each month at the south end of the Rosauers parking lot 9am-2pm. The LEOs also loan out ClearStream beverage recycling containers for events through the Soul Café on Twelfth Street in Hood River. In The Dalles, Home At Last animal shelter collects cans and bottle at local parks and events; watch for their "Cans for Canines" trailers. Many community organizations have "pop can drives" as fund-raisers, watch for local notices. For example, Relay for Life has a collection box inside Rosauers in Hood River.

Juice boxes: TerraCycle has a campaign called the Drink Pouch Brigade that collects used drink pouches across the nation. These items are repurposed into things like purses, pouches and backpacks. Through this program, $0.02 is donated to charity for every drink pouch collected through the Brigade program. Find out more at www.terracycle.net/brigades.

Food wrappers and bottles: TerraCycle also does the "brigade" collection for a variety of plastic items, including energy bar wrappers, cookie wrappers, malt-o-meal cereal bags, and plastic milk bottles. Check out the website (above) for details

Wine corks (not plastic): To turn them into flooring and wall tiles, send them to Wine Cork Recycling, Yemm & Hart Ltd., 610 South Chamber Drive, Fredericktown MO 63645. Or put them in a compost bin.

Wipes and sponges: These can't be recycled. But sea sponges and natural sponges made from vegetable cellulose are biodegradable and can be tossed into a compost heap.

Eyeglasses: check with your local eye care professional, many collect used eyeglasses for charitable programs such as the Lions club's "Recycle for Sight" program, or others such as "Give the Gift of Sight", "New Eyes for the Needy". For example, Preferred Optical in The Dalles donates "boxes and boxes" of used eyeglasses to the Lions program.

Hearing aids: check with your local hearing aid retailer or the Starkey Hearing Foundation www.sotheworldmayhear.org, who recycles used hearing aids. Also check with the local Lions club or on-line.

Wheelchairs: Go to www.lifenets.org/wheelchair which acts as a matchmaker, uniting wheelchairs with those who need them.

Clothing/textiles: The Arc of the Mid-Columbia has clothing drop-off bins at Gorge ReBuild-It Center on Tucker Road in Hood River and at Devin's Alignment & Brakes on West Second Street in The Dalles. Numerous secondhand and thrift stores throughout the Gorge accept used clothing, with the unsold items being sent on for "rag" reuse processing. Used athletic shoes cans be turned into playground and athletic flooring by donating to Nike's "ReUse A Shoe" at its Niketown store or Factory store in Portland. Croc shoes can be sent to the manufacturer to be made into new shoes and donated to underprivileged families: Crocs Recycling West, 3375 Enterprise Ave, Bloomington CA 92316.

Metal hangers: return to your local dry cleaner for reuse.

Furniture and mattresses: in good condition may be donated to local secondhand and thrift stores. In poor condition, usually must be disposed of for a fee at transfer stations or landfill.

Crayons: Crayons are a petroleum product, they take many years to biodegrade. Instead of discarding them from homes, schools and restaurants…send them to the National Crayon Recycle Program www.crazycrayons.com, which melts down crayons and reforms them into new ones.

Candles: used to create "Bryan's Firestarters" (dried cherry pits and recycled candle wax), drop off at Opportunity Connections (formerly Columbia Gorge Center), 2940 Thomsen Road in Pine Grove, or at the Center's Thrift Store at 405 E Second in The Dalles.

Christmas lights: Recycle your old incandescent lights via www.HolidayLEDs.com. The company will recycle your old lights and send you a coupon for 15 percent off its LED lights, which use 80 percent less energy and last 10 years or more. And they're safer, too. LEDs don't generate much heat, whereas incandescent give off heat, which can cause a dry Christmas tree to catch fire. Check with a local Ace Hardware store, Hood River Supply on 12th Street and in Odell; some accept old Christmas lights as well.

Smoke detectors: They last only 10 years and contain radioactive Americium 241, so send dead ones back to the manufacturer. Send First Alert, BRK and Family Guard Smoke Detectors to: BRK Brands, 25 Spur Drive, El Paso, TX 79906, (800)323-9005; www.firstalert.com. On the front of the package, write "For Disposal." Up to five smoke alarms are accepted for free. Ship American Sensors and Dicon Smoke Detectors by surface mail to: Dicon Inc., 20 Steelcase Road West, Unit #3, Markham, Ontario L3R 1B2, Canada, (800) 387-4219. On the front of the package, write "For Recycling, $0 Value."

Automotive and metals
Automobiles: may be taken to several wrecking yards in the area: All Foreign & Domestic Auto Wrecking in The Dalles, Jones Auto Wrecking & Towing in The Dalles, and Mt Hood Towing & Salvage in Mt Hood.

Used automotive fluids: used motor oil can be taken to the transfer stations. In addition, a number of private automotive businesses accept a variety of products for recycling, including used motor oil, oil filters, and antifreeze. Check with your neighborhood automotive repair shop, service station, oil change operation, or farmers co-op. In Hood River, these include John's Equipment Repair (oil and used batteries), Los Hermanos Auto Shop (used oil), River's Edge (oil, filters, batteries and anti-freeze), Gehrig's Service Station (used oil), and Larry's Auto Repair in Parkdale (used oil). Oil Can Henry's in The Dalles and Hood River can take used filters and oil from do-it-yourselfers. For pick-up service of large amounts of used oil and automotive fluids, contact ThermoFluids Inc. in Clackamas OR 1-800-350-7565.

Automotive batteries: accept at the transfer stations and at many retailers that sell batteries locally, check when you are shopping for a new battery.

Tires: accepted for a fee at the transfer stations and Wasco County landfill; some local tire shops may accept tires in addition to those you leave behind when you purchase new tires. In our area, used tires are either taken for tire recycling in the Portland area or are hauled to Finley Buttes Landfill in Morrow County for processing into tire chips before disposal.

Scrap metal: can be taken to the transfer stations or A&P Recycling in The Dalles if in good condition; larger items or contaminated items, such as barrels, may be disposed of for a fee at the transfer stations or landfill. There are also some private scrap metal haulers, often found through "word-of-mouth" or signs on local bulletin boards or in the classifieds.

Plastics
Block foam/expanded polystyrene: Pacific Land Clearing and Recycling 4044 N. Suttle Road, Portland takes Styrofoam, has a machine that densifies/reduces it into a product sold to a processor in California. (In the past, Far West Fibers has taken block foam but not since fall 2008)

Pop bottle six-pack rings: encourage your local school to participate in the environmental education "Ring Leader" Recycling Program; kids collect six-pack rings to be recycled into other plastic items, including plastic lumber and plastic shipping pallets. www.ringleader.com

Bottle caps and lids: encourage your local school to get involved with Aveda's new "Recycle Caps with Aveda" collection program for plastic caps, contact capcollection@aveda.com. A new recycling imitative to collect rigid polypropylene plastic bottle caps...twist-on caps such as on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles; flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles, laundry detergents and some jar lids such as jam and peanut butter.

Dry cleaner bags, plastic film, "shrink-wrap": is accepted at A&P Recycling in The Dalles (prior to the downturn in recycling markets in 2008, local dry cleaners had drop boxes for plastic dry cleaning bags, but these were withdrawn by the film distributor)

Film canisters and pill bottles: cannot be put into recycling as are smaller than 2 ounces, but possibly a local school, club or museum for art projects, or check if your local veterinarian can use them for dispensing animal medications

Plant pots and nursery trays: the sturdy plastic types (not lightweight "crinkly" types) are accepted for recycling at Good News Gardening (September-October only) and Produce Kountry in Hood River as well as in co-mingled recycling curbside and at the transfer stations. Gorge Nursery in Hood River accepts back their large, heavy nursery pots for reuse.

Packing "peanuts" and similar materials: may be accepted for re-use at local stores such as the UPS store in Hood River, Postal Annex in Hood River, AOK Pak & Ship in The Dalles.

PVC pipe: may be taken to North West Polymers in Portland, depending on market demand; large amounts, such as truckload, could go to Denton Plastics in Portland.

Plastic shopping bags: these do NOT go into the co-mingled recycling or blue bins; recycle plastic shopping bags at local retail stores in the receptacles usually located at the entrance, or at A&P Recycling in The Dalles.

Records: Donate or sell your old records to an independent music store such as Yesterday & Today Music in downtown The Dalles or at Gemm.com, the self-described "world's largest music marketplace," or donate them to a thrift store.

Rigid plastic such as CDs, DVDs, "jewel" box cases, Little Tikes toys, storage tubs, etc: are not accepted anywhere in the gorge for recycling but can be taken to Far West Fibers, 4629 SE 17th in Portland. You can send CDs, DVDs, jewel boxes, videotapes and floppy disks via www.greendisk.com and/or www.actrecycling.org for recycling.

Toothbrushes: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush from Recycline Preserve, and the company will take it back, in a postage-paid envelope, to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms' yogurt cups.

Food Waste
Good quality leftovers and extras from your garden or fruit tree: work hard to get this food into the hands of folks who need it! For example, contact Bread & Blessings in The Dalles, your local food bank, Windy River Gleaners in The Dalles or the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council.

Vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc: set up a backyard composting system and make your own organic soil amendment.

Vegetable oil and grease: restaurants and grocery stores have containers to collect used cooking oil and grease, which are serviced by metro area companies and primarily transported to Sequential Pacific Bio-Fuels in Salem for processing into bio-diesel.

Some communities are holding prescription drug "take back" events sponsored by the local police department, as prescription drugs especially controlled substances, can only be received for disposal by police. In the future, Oregon hopes to develop a statewide program for safe and convenient collection and disposal of unused and unwanted medications.

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