First Saturday Recycling Drop-Off Begins

The First Saturday of the Month Drop-off Event for recycling in Somerset County will take place this weekend on Polhemus Lane in Bridgewater.

The event will be held at the Somerset County Recycling Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The event allows residents to drop off tires, clean textiles and usual curbside items all at once when they are too busy to do so during the week.

In addition, residents can take the opportunity to donate food items for the local food bank.

Residents are allowed to drop off up to eight tires with or without rims, scrap metal, antifreeze and other usual curbside items, including chipboard items, plastic bottles and containers all marked #1 through #7.

Chipboard items include gift, show, shirt and all other retail boxes, as well as cereal, cookie, pasta, cake and cracker boxes. Poster board, backing from writing pads and dried-out empty steel paint cans are also expected.

Aside from these materials, residents can dispose of clean dry textiles throughout the year at scheduled Saturday drop-off events. Textiles are considered to be drapes, curtains, sheets, towels, belts, handbags, shoes, clean cloth and small stuffed animals, all of which will only be accepted in a plastic bag.

All of these events will be held on the first Saturday of the month, except for July when it will be held July 13 instead because of Independence Day.

Household hazardous waste will not be accepted.

Aside from the drop-offs, residents are invited to bring canned goods and non-perishable food donations to each First Saturday Drop-Off event, or they can put the items in a plastic bag on their usual recycling pickup dates. Items will be delivered to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County.

The First Saturday of the Month events will not include drop-offs of consumer electronics, but they can be dropped off, free of charge, at Newtech Recycling Inc. on Apgar Drive in Somerset. Those items can be dropped off May 4, June 1, July 13, Aug. 3, Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 and Dec. 7 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information about the county events and what items can be recycled, visit co.somerset.nj.us/recycle, or call the center at 732-469-3363.