Recycling on St. Croix
Read on to find out how you can participate in recycling locally and reducing the amount of trash that ends up in our landfill.
In a perfect world we would all have access to zero-waste stores, utilize only reusable containers, and do away with disposable straws. While we may not live in a perfect world, at least we now have a way to recycle plastic and aluminum cans here on St. Croix thanks to the grassroots movement of volunteers known as the “Plastic drop off and recycling program” group on Facebook. On Saturdays, volunteers man drop off locations island wide where anyone who wants to can deposit their recyclables. It takes a little bit of effort, but isn’t our environment worth it? Here are the locations, times and details for responsibly dropping off your recyclables:
Leatherback Brewing Company is leading the recycling efforts for aluminum cans here on St. Croix. They are accepting UNCRUSHED aluminum cans for recycling, which can be dropped off during our business hours (11:30am to 8pm Monday-Saturday and 12-7pm Sunday). Please make sure your cans are secured in a bag and tied shut. DETAILS
The St. Croix Animal Welfare Center is always in need of newspaper, used to line the crates for puppies and kittens. Please save your newspaper and make a point of dropping them off.
RePlastic Recycle is a team committed to reducing plastic waste, one piece at a time. They use recycled plastics to create new products such as chairs, keychains, bottle openers and home décor. Currently, they accept plastic types 2 and 5. Type 2 refers to HDPE plastic, which stands for High Density Polyethylene. Plastics must be rinsed and cleaned, and have the labels removed. You can drop off your plastics to them at Leatherback Brewing Co. on the first Saturday of each month from 10am-2pm. DETAILS
The Plastic drop off and recycling program collects clean, rinsed plastics at The Market STX on Saturdays from 9:00am-12:30pm. head over to their Facebook page for more information on what is recyclable, and how to bring it in for recycling. DETAILS
Another local entrepreneur will be starting up glass recycling that will turn glass into new products for the home and more, so stay tuned for more details as they become available!
Recycling Do’s and Do Not’s
- DO check out the Plastic drop off and recycling program Facebook page for more information on what is recyclable.
- DO rinse out aluminum cans before dropping them off for recycling.
- DO rinse out all plastic and remove the lids before dropping them off for recycling.
- DO NOT bring boxes, styrofoam, dark colored plastic containers, hangers, laundry baskets, 3-5 gallon water bottles, oil or gas containers, or egg cartons – they are not recyclable.
- DO bring your recyclables in a reusable bin or box (which eliminates ‘contaminated plastic’), or in a clear plastic bag.
- DO NOT bring your recyclables in black or white trash bags. The volunteers must be able to see what’s in the bags to be able to direct them to the proper side for sorting.
- DO drop off your recyclables by the ending time noted above for each location. After the drop off time ends, the volunteers are sorting and prepping the recyclables for shipping and do not have time to accept new drop offs.
In addition to manning the recycling drop offs and sorting the recyclables, this amazing group also has a student recycling program with participating schools being sponsored by local businesses. If you are interested in sponsoring a school, or volunteering at a drop off location, please reach out to one of the Admins on the Facebook page.
We here at GoToStCroix.com would like say THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who continue to make this recycling project possible, to Plaza West for sponsoring the program, and to Leatherback Brewing for accepting aluminum cans for recycling. Also, thank you to everyone who is participating by collecting and dropping off recyclables…all of you are helping to make our island a better (and cleaner) place to live!
-Jennie Ogden, Editor
Leatherback Brewing Company is leading the recycling efforts for aluminum cans here on St. Croix. They are accepting UNCRUSHED aluminum cans for recycling, which can be dropped off during our business hours (11:30am to 8pm Monday-Saturday and 12-7pm Sunday). Please make sure your cans are secured in a bag and tied shut. DETAILS
RePlastic Recycle is a team committed to reducing plastic waste, one piece at a time. They use recycled plastics to create new products such as chairs, keychains, bottle openers and home décor. Currently, they accept plastic types 2 and 5. Type 2 refers to HDPE plastic, which stands for High Density Polyethylene. Plastics must be rinsed and cleaned, and have the labels removed. You can drop off your plastics to them at Leatherback Brewing Co. on the first Saturday of each month from 10am-2pm. DETAILS
The Plastic drop off and recycling program collects clean, rinsed plastics at The Market STX on Saturdays from 9:00am-12:30pm. head over to their Facebook page for more information on what is recyclable, and how to bring it in for recycling. DETAILS
Another local entrepreneur will be starting up glass recycling that will turn glass into new products for the home and more, so stay tuned for more details as they become available!
