The Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management (TCRMM) would like to remind residents to put cardboard in their recycling bin rather than stacking it to the side. This would allow recycling collectors to touch fewer surfaces while picking up recycling bins and dumping their contents into the recycling truck.
Although COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person to person, surface transmission is a possibility according to the Centers for Disease Control. Recycling collectors are outfitted with personal protective equipment, but containing all recyclables in one bin is a simple precaution that reduces the risk of surface transmission from residents to collectors.
As an added step, residents can disinfect their recycling bins after setting them out. TCRMM would like to thank residents for taking steps to protect themselves and others in the community during this period of social distancing. More information about recycling is available at recycletompkins.org.