The plastic stuff cluttering your patio - old toys, flower pots and buckets - will go on to clutter a landfill if
you haul it to the curb on trash day.
But on America Recycles Day, which is observed Saturday, the Blair County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling will debut an expanded plastics recycling program.
Plastics numbered 1 through 7 will be accepted, including laundry baskets, swings, sandboxes, coolers and pool covers. There is no charge.
"We're trying to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills," said Beth Smithmyer, information specialist for the Depart-ment of Solid Waste and Re-cycling.
The number is typically found on the bottom of the plastic item, inside a recycling triangle. These items will be accepted only at the facility and not in curbside bins or any other drop-off locations, Smithmyer said.
Items can be dropped off at the compost and recycling facility, off Black Snake Road, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday or during facility hours.
All items should be relatively clean and free of contaminants.
Concord Plastics of PA in Altoona will collect the items at the facility. President Jeff Fur-manchin said the parternship has been under way for some time.
''It's not so much a profitability issue for us,'' Furmanchin said. ''This is really our piece, from a community standpoint, to help the county and the local community with recycling options. We're not set up to have individuals bring items directly to our facility.''
Plastic recycling has typically been limited to Nos. 1 and 2, said John Frederick, executive director of Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania in Bellwood. Frederick said the expansion may lead to "the next big jump in material recovery."
"The technology to recover these materials has evolved," Frederick said, "and it might allow us to make some of these plastics part of routine curbside collections someday in the not-too-distant future."
Mirror Staff Writer Ashley Gurbal is at 946-7435.
