Spring-Cleaning NYC: SAFE Disposal Event

You know all those old cans of paint thinner; ancient cell phones, laptops and

desktops; broken smoke detectors; and sundry other would-be trash you know you’re not supposed to throw away? You can finally get rid of it all, responsibly, this Sunday (April 28) in Morningside Heights.

Bring your stuff to the Spring 2013 NYC SAFE Disposal Event at Columbia University/Teachers College on West 120th St. (between Broadway & Amsterdam). From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Department of Sanitation will accept a wide range of items that are potentially harmful to households and to the environment. SAFE is an acronym for Solvents, Automotive, Flammable, Electronics — categories that encompass everything from antifreeze to mothballs. You can also take personal care items like syringes, medications and mercury thermometers, as well as selected housewares.

Before you go: Check the event website for details on what’s accepted and how to package it for drop-off. You must bring proof you are a New York City resident.

More Truth in Recycling NYC: Can You Handle It?

For Earth Day, I decided to further my quest for truth in recycling, this time taking a cold, hard look at my own numbers: How do I measure up when it comes to my own recycling habits?  (See "Truth in Recycling NYC" for the stats on how well we’re recycling citywide).

I continue to learn I’m not nearly as green as I think I am.

Truth in Recycling NYC

My offline spring cleaning led me on a search for truth in recycling. What happens if you recycle something you shouldn't? You might be surprised.

Asking a New Yorker “Do you recycle” is about as antiquated these days as requesting a seat in the non-smoking area of a restaurant. It’s the law, of course, and the NYC Department of Sanitation makes it fairly easy, providing curbside recycling collection to 3 million households.

In fact, we put out between 366,000 and 423,000 tons of mixed-paper recyclables and between 250,000 and 331,000 tons of bottle-and-can recyclables each year. But are you recycling correctly? And what if you're not? Can you do more harm than good if you recycle something you shouldn’t?

NYC Recycling, Part 1: Separating and Sorting Household Recyclables

The first of a three-part series spotlighting resources available at WasteLe$$, a comprehensive guide to recycling in the city, created by the DSNY Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling. The following links guide you to the online facts on household recyclables, including how to separate and sort them for effective curbside recycling.

Update (posted 9 May 2013)

My recent blog posts obsoleted. RT: “@nylcv: City Expands Recycling Program to Include Hard Plastics, via @nytimes nyti.ms/ZsfKOi”
— MsManhattan (@MsManhattan) April 25, 2013

Original Listing (to be updated soon with new regulations)

Guide to Recycling Paper and Cardboard

What goes into mixed-paper recycling, and how to deal with it; plus, what doesn’t go — like milk cartons and hardcover books. It goes in the green bins.

Guide to Recycling Metals, Glass and Plastics

How to recycle beverage cartons, glass bottles and jars, and various metals and foil. They all go together in the blue bins. Including milk cartons!

Guide to Recycling Bulk Items

Did you know you can recycle that old metal file cabinet in your home office? That old metal Ikea kitchen cart? Get the low-down here.

Recycling at Home

More information and tips on household recycling, including building-wide recycling requirements and how to report violations.

All About Plastics

Everything you need to know to ensure you never recycle plastics incorrectly again. Find out why New York only recycles certain plastics and how to accurately identify those that are recyclable here.

What Does That Triangular Recycling Symbol Really Mean?

That depends on where you are. Find out why it’s so confusing.

Ready to Test Your New Recycling Knowledge?

An interactive game to test (and reinforce!) how well you know how to separate and sort your recyclables. Play online or download the app to your Android or iOS device.

Follow the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling on Twitter (@NYCrecycles)!

This series will continue with Part 2, information on the city’s other recycling options and safe disposal events for hazardous household trash. Part 3 will cover city-sponsored reuse programs.

The Yankees Honor Boston

It was a great moment last night when the Yankees honored the people of Boston by playing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" after the third inning, the Fenway Park tradition of its erstwhile rivals the BoSox.

The Bombers weren't the only team to do so -- MajorLeagueBaseball.com has videos of seven other teams similarly showing their support -- but the historic antagonism between the two East Coast clubs put a different spin on the fans' reactions in the Bronx -- as amused by the irony as warm-heartedly empathetic to Bostonians.




In a more solemn acknowledgement of the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday (April 15), the stadium observed a moment of silence prior to the first inning. And a banner featuring the two teams' logos and the message "United We Stand" hung over the stadium throughout the game. 

The Yanks beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2.

The new and improved MsManhattan.net

MsManhattan has been spring cleaning, online and off.

As part of my digital housekeeping, I've refreshed the site with a whole new look-and-feel, improved navigation and fresh digests of all the posted articles. With new, categorized pages, it’s easier to find the resources and information you want by topic. Just use the tabs across the top of each page.

Take a look around, then Tweet me @MsManhattan to let me know what you

think. And keep an eye out for new articles throughout the week. Up first: My offline spring cleaning led me on a search for truth in recycling. What happens if you recycle something you shouldn't? You might be surprised.

Spring Cleaning

MsManhattan is sprucing up, so you may find the content and navigation in transition... In other words, The place is a mess. Thanks for stopping by, but would you come back next week?

Look for the refreshed, rejuvenated MsManhattan on Monday, April 15.