County residents who find themselves with hard-to-recycle items now have another local option.
The Portage County recycling center is launching CHaRM, the Center for Hard to Recycle Material, on Sept. 18. The facility will be located at 3588 Mogadore Road, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the first Monday of each month (excluding federal holidays).
People are welcome to drop off appliances like portable/window AC units, cooktops, microwaves, dishwashers, ranges and stoves, washers and dryers, refrigerators, freezers, wall ovens and ice makers.
People will be directed to stay in their vehicles and follow instructions staff will provide. Smoking is not permitted on-site.
People dropping off electronics like televisions, CRT monitors or printers should make checks out to Greenboard IT. The cost is $20 for televisions and CRT monitors, and $10 for printers. Payment will be accepted in the form of cash or checks; no PayPal, Venmo or other electronic transfers.
There is no charge for cellphones, stereos, VCR/DVD players, PCs, routers, laptops, phones, scanners, LCD monitors, keyboards, paper shredders, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices, hard drives, servers, networking equipment, MP3 players, cameras, game consoles and accessories, and unused printer cartridges and toner.
There will also be a 50-cent fee (payable by cash or check to Portage County Solid Waste Management District) for dropping off passenger tires, with a limit of 10 tires per household per year. Tires with rims will be accepted, and all tires must be clean.
CHaRM will take motor oil, antifreeze and transmission fluid, so long as the containers are clearly marked and closed tightly. The facility will accept lead acid car batteries, as well as household batteries. Please tape the ends of the batteries.
People may also drop off ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal, including wires, pipes, motors and parts. Cooking oil must be in a clearly marked container with a lid.
CHaRM will accept plastic bags, plastic film, bubble wrap and the like, none of which regular plastic recyclers will take. People intending to drop off paper to be shredded should remove all paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands, folders and any kind of binding.
People dropping off items must have an I.D. proving they are Portage County residents. Drop-offs from businesses will not be accepted.
CHaRM is provided by the Portage County Solid Waste District and the Portage County commissioners.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.