In its continued effort to advance recycling and sustainability, the Town of Brookhaven has launched a new program to recycle film plastics. “Film plastics” refer to stretchy plastic items like plastic bags, newspaper sleeves, and case wrapping. These items do not belong in your home recycling bin, but they can be recycled at participating drop-off sites. This now includes two sites hosted by the Town of Brookhaven.
The program runs in partnership with the Town of Smithtown and Trex. Film plastics collected by the Town of Brookhaven are brought to the Town of Smithtown, who bales it and send to Trex. Trex incorporates the material into their composite lumber products, which includes decking and benches.
The Town of Brookhaven’s film plastic drop-off locations and hours are as follows:
Brookhaven Town Hall
3rd Floor – Department of Recycling & Sustainable Materials Management
1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY 11738
Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:30pm
Brookhaven Solid Waste Management Facility
350 Horseblock Road, Brookhaven, NY 11719
Monday-Friday 7:00am-3:00pm, Saturday 7:00am-12:00pm
Other acceptable materials include bread bags, bubble wrap, air pillows, resealable storage bags, produce bags, and plastic shipping envelopes. All plastic must be clean, dry, and free of food residue.
Boat shrink wrap, frozen food bags, chip bags, candy wrappers, and pet food bags are not accepted in this program. More information can be found at BrookhavenNY.gov/Recycle.
In addition, many supermarkets, big box stores, and libraries also partner with Trex to recycle film plastics. A complete list of drop-off locations can be found at NexTrex.com.