Commercial Yard Waste Sites Available Statewide for Convenient Drop-off

After the holidays, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control encourages Delawareans to keep their real Christmas trees out of the state’s landfills by recycling them at any of the many yard waste recycling sites located throughout the state. Tree mulch is great for helping conserve and enhance First State soil by sequestering carbon that both fertilizes the soil and helps it retain moisture.

Christmas tree recycling also saves valuable space in Delaware’s landfills. More than 176,000 tons of yard waste – which includes grass, leaves, brush, trees (Christmas trees prominent among them) and other lawn/landscape materials – was recycled in 2021. Prior to Delaware’s yard waste ban, many of these materials – considered reusable resources – were sent to landfills, taking up space rather than being handled through local markets for mulch and home composting.

Residents have the option to choose from among many sites in Delaware to drop off their Christmas tree. Some of these sites accept trees at no cost, while others charge for the service. Before residents drop off their tree, call the site in advance to see what restrictions are in place and whether there is a charge for accepting a tree to be recycled. Residents who pay for curbside collection service should call their waste hauler to see if they offer Christmas tree pickup. If pickup is unavailable from haulers, check the list of yard waste drop-off sites on the DNREC website at de.gov/yardwaste.

Trees may be accepted as soon as Dec. 26 and as late as Jan. 28, 2023, but. as each yard waste facility has its own schedule, calling ahead or checking the DNREC website is advised. Likewise, commercial haulers or landscapers should call a facility prior to delivering loads of Christmas trees to be mulched. Christmas trees are not accepted for recycling at Delaware State Parks and it is illegal to leave or dump them on dunes or beaches, or anywhere within a state park.

Whether dropping off a Christmas tree or having it collected, prepare the tree for recycling into mulch by stripping off all decorations and lights, removing any flocking (fake snow) and detaching tree stands.

Delawareans also are reminded that Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023 is the last day to drop off materials, including Christmas trees, at the Polly Drummond Hill Road yard waste site in northern New Castle County. The DNREC-administered site will close at sundown Sunday, Jan. 15 and will reopen for spring on Saturday, March 25. More information can be found at de.gov/yardwaste.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Delaware Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) arrested a Georgetown man Tuesday, Sept. 20, on a charge of illegal dumping on a public roadway.

After an investigation by ECU officers, Serapio Zapata, 58, was issued an e-ticket with a fine of $637 for causing or contributing to the discharge of solid waste materials.

DNREC reminds Delawareans and visitors to Keep DE Litter Free, not to litter, to help clean up our outdoor spaces, and protect the state’s unique natural heritage.

Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a jury trial at which the State bears the burden of proving each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov.

Las bolsas de película de plástico ya no serán distribuidas por los vendedores minoristas en Delaware

El Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Control Ambiental de Delaware le recuerda a los compradores minoristas del estado que pronto cambiarán sus opciones para el envasado de comestibles y bienes de consumo. A partir del 1. ° de julio, las tiendas minoristas de Delaware (todas las tiendas minoristas excepto los restaurantes) dejarán de ofrecer bolsas de plástico al momento de pagar en las cajas. Una prohibición actualizada de las bolsas de plástico, aprobada por la Asamblea General de Delaware en 2021, amplía la prohibición de las bolsas de plástico de 2019 para incluir todas las tiendas minoristas (con los restaurantes de nuevo como excepción), independientemente de su tamaño, y prohíbe la distribución o venta de todas las bolsas de película de plástico para llevar al momento de pagar en las cajas.

Según la prohibición de las bolsas de plástico de Delaware de 2019, la ley permitía que las bolsas de película de plástico de 2,25 milímetros de grosor se consideraran reutilizables. El pasado mes de junio, la legislatura amplió la prohibición estatal de las bolsas de plástico para incluir todas las bolsas de película de plástico para llevar, independientemente de su grosor. A partir del 1. ° de julio, los minoristas podrán optar por ofrecer bolsas de papel o bolsas reutilizables de tela u otro tejido resistente con asas cosidas. La ley también permite a las tiendas minoristas cobrar a los clientes por estas bolsas al momento de pagar en las cajas.

El DNREC fomenta el uso de las bolsas de tela o tejido que traen los clientes a los comercios donde compran, al tiempo que aconseja que estas bolsas reutilizables se laven o limpien después de cada uso, dándoles la vuelta y limpiándolas con un producto de limpieza o desinfectante.

El objetivo de la prohibición ampliada de las bolsas de plástico es reducir la basura en las carreteras, las vías fluviales y las costas; ahorrar un valioso espacio en los vertederos; aumentar los esfuerzos de reciclaje; y ayudar a las instalaciones de reciclaje a evitar retrasos cuando las bolsas de plástico se atascan en su maquinaria.

“Antes de la promulgación de esta ley en 2019, se estimaba que cada habitante de Delaware utilizaba aproximadamente 434 bolsas de plástico al año, muchas de las cuales terminaban como residuos en nuestros vertederos”, dijo el secretario del DNREC, Shawn M. Garvin. “Al reajustar la legislación para limitar aún más el uso de las bolsas de película de plástico para llevar, estamos reduciendo los residuos que con demasiada frecuencia acaban en nuestras carreteras, en nuestras vías fluviales y a lo largo de nuestras costas, todo ello siendo perjudicial para nuestro medio ambiente, incluidos los efectos nocivos para nuestra vida silvestre y las criaturas marinas”.

Todas las tiendas minoristas que sigan proporcionando bolsas exentas deben mantener un programa de reciclaje en el establecimiento para las bolsas de plástico y de película de plástico, incluidos los forros de las cajas de cereales, las fundas de los periódicos y las bolsas de un solo uso para productos agrícolas o carne y mariscos frescos. Los lugares de entrega de las bolsas deben ser visibles y accesibles dentro de la tienda. Las bolsas que ya no son reutilizables o que no se desean deben reciclarse en estos lugares. La División de Residuos y Sustancias Peligrosas del DNREC también recuerda a los ciudadanos de Delaware que las bolsas de plástico nunca deben depositarse en los contenedores que forman parte del programa estatal de reciclaje en la acera, sino que se deben devolver a las tiendas de las que proceden para su reciclaje.

Los consumidores y los comerciantes minoristas pueden encontrar más información sobre la prohibición ampliada de las bolsas de plástico en de.gov/bags.

Sobre el DNREC
El Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Control Ambiental de Delaware protege y gestiona los recursos naturales del estado, protege la salud pública, ofrece oportunidades de recreación al aire libre y educa a los habitantes de Delaware sobre el medio ambiente. La División de Residuos y Sustancias Peligrosas del DNREC garantiza la gestión de los residuos de Delaware para proteger la vida humana, la salud, la seguridad y el medio ambiente. Para más información, visite el sitio web y contacte al DNREC en Facebook, Twitter o LinkedIn.

Contactos con los medios de comunicación: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

DNREC reminds shoppers the enhanced plastic carryout bag ban will be in effect July 1. DNREC photo.

[versión en español]

Film Bags No Longer to Be Distributed by Retail Vendors in Delaware

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds retail shoppers in the state their options are soon to change for packaging groceries and consumer goods. Starting July 1, retail stores in Delaware – all retail stores except restaurants – will no longer provide plastic bags at checkout. An updated plastic bag ban, passed by the Delaware General Assembly in 2021, expands the 2019 plastic bag ban to include all retail stores (with restaurants again the exception) regardless of size, and bans the distribution or sale of all plastic film carryout bags at checkout.

Under Delaware’s 2019 plastic bag ban, the law allowed 2.25 mil-thick plastic film bags to be considered reusable. Last June, the legislature enhanced the state’s plastic bag ban to include all plastic film carryout bags regardless of thickness. Starting July 1, retailers can choose to offer paper bags, or reusable bags made from cloth or other durable fabric with stitched handles. The law also allows retail stores to charge customers for these bags at checkout.

DNREC encourages the use of the cloth or fabric bags brought by customers to businesses where they shop, while advising that these reusable bags should be washed or cleaned after each use by turning them inside out and wiping them down with a cleaning agent or disinfectant.

The goal of the enhanced bag ban is to reduce roadside, waterway and seaside litter; to save valuable landfill space; to increase recycling efforts; and to help recycling facilities avoid delays when plastic bags get stuck in their machinery.

”Prior to the enactment of this law in 2019, it was estimated that each Delawarean used approximately 434 plastic bags each year, many of which wound up as waste in our landfills,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “By realigning the legislation to further limit the use of film carryout bags, we are reducing waste that all too often ends up along on our roadway, in our waterways and along our shorelines – all detrimental to our environment including harmful effects on our wildlife and marine creatures.”

All retail stores that continue to provide exempt bags are required to maintain an At-Store Recycling program for plastic and film bags, including cereal box liners, newspaper sleeves, and single-use produce or meat and fresh seafood bags. The drop-off locations should be visible and accessible within the store. Bags that are no longer reusable or unwanted should be recycled at these locations. DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances also reminds Delawareans that plastic bags should never be placed in the bins that are part of the state’s curbside recycling program, but should instead be returned to the stores the bags came from for recycling.

Consumers and retailers can find more information about the enhanced plastic bag ban at de.gov/bags.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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A new online resource to help Delawareans take the guesswork out of recycling has been unveiled by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The new tool, Recyclopedia, helps the public and businesses determine the quickest and easiest ways to recycle materials that would otherwise go to a landfill.

The web-based application offers an easy-to-navigate, pictorial guide for more than 200 commonly used recyclables and where those can be recycled depending on the user’s ZIP code. Whether by computer, tablet, phone or other device, Delawareans and businesses can choose or search for an item and quickly find where it should be recycled.

“Recyclopedia is a new and exciting way DNREC is harnessing technology to reduce the amount of recyclables sent to our landfills,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “One of our challenges is confusion about what and how to recycle. Recyclopedia is a one-stop resource to help everyone know how to recycle right.”

The public can determine whether items should go in the trash, or to a curbside or drop-off location.

For example, conduct a search for milk jugs and learn they are “Acceptable” to put in a curbside recycling cart. The program also informs the user to keep the cap on the jug. A search for coffee cups shows they are “Not Acceptable” to put in curbside recycling. Batteries are “NOT Acceptable” either. Instead, batteries should be brought to a DSWA Household Hazardous Waste collection event. They can also find out where those solutions would be available depending on their ZIP code.

The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances hired software developer iWasteNot Systems to develop Delaware’s Recyclopedia. The tool is dynamic, and based on both user interaction and DNREC staff research, will be updated regularly to ensure solutions and opportunities for recycling are up-to-date. It is available in more than 100 languages.

Learn more about Recyclopedia by visiting http://de.gov/recycling.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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