The advent of spring means it's prime time for recycling events that take all manner of items that we'd rather not send to the landfill. GrowNYC's not-to-miss list includes the city's annual NYC SAFE household hazardous waste collections and our Stop 'N' Swap community reuse events, both of which offer one-stop drops for a variety of unwanted stuff. Read on for more spring cleaning resources.

What about...SPRING CLEANING?
 
If you start spring with a deep cleaning or decluttering session, check out resources for donating or responsibly disposing of unwanted items. Our ramped-up Stop 'N' Swap® program brings community reuse events to more neighborhoods than ever, and accepts all reusable and portable items for others to put to good use that same day. Spring also means more Greenmarkets opening for the year, bringing more weekly opportunities to recycle clothing & textiles. Department of Sanitation's annual NYC SAFE events will take your hazardous household materials like paint, pesticides, cleaning products, and computers. From March through May, the Lower East Side Ecology Center will welcome spring with 20 electronics collections throughout the five boroughs. If you have specific donation needs, search local charities and pickup options for reusable goods at the NYC Stuff Exchange. Wondering how else to green your home? Take a look at NYC Green House, a user-friendly guide to a healthier home.
Greenmarket Food Scrap Collection Gains National Attention
 
Thanks to people like you, GrowNYC's partnership with NYC and the Department of Sanitation has diverted nearly 2.5 million pounds of food scraps from disposal, and helped sow the seeds for expanded options for residential composting. Read all about it in the latest issue of Biocycle magazine!
Tribeca Greenmarket Food Scrap and Textile Collections Now Twice a Week
 
The seasonal Wednesday Tribeca Greenmarket opens this week, which means twice the opportunities to recycle clothing and drop off food scraps for composting! Stop by Saturdays and Wednesdays at Greenwich St. and Chambers. More info.
Small Grants Available for Community Compost Projects
 
Citizens Committee for New York City, the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB), and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer invite you to apply for grants to start, expand and grow composting programs in all five boroughs of New York City. Grants of up to $750 will be awarded to community groups working on neighborhood composting programs. Groups eligible for funding include community associations, community gardens, friends of park groups, housing development groups, nonprofits, schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, and private businesses. Grants can be used to purchase materials to start or expand upon a composting program. Apply by March 28.
Upcoming Events
Pop Up Repair Coming to Brooklyn
March 12-30, Wednesday through Sunday, 12pm-7pm
Film Biz Recycling, 540 President St, just off 4th Ave
 
Pop Up Repair, an itinerant repair service for household items of all kinds, is coming to Brooklyn! Bring your broken stuff - chairs, lamps, phones, toys, jewelry, spoons, spatulas, etc - and they will try to fix it. Learn more at popuprepair.com.
Upcoming Stop 'N' Swaps
 
Bring clean, reusable, portable items such as clothing, house wares, games, books, & toys that you no longer need, and take home something new-to-you, free! You don't have to bring something to take something. No furniture or large items, please.

* Saturday, March 22 - Staten Island, Sea View Hospital Community Service Building, 460 Brielle Avenue, 12pm-3pm

* Saturday, April 5 - Queens, PS 50, 143-26 101st Ave, Jamaica, 12pm-3pm

Learn more.
Electronics Recycling with the LES Ecology Center
 
Responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics (no appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators) at spring events sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center. All events 10am-4pm. March collection dates below. Check www.lesecologycenter.org for the full spring schedule. Click here for a list of what's accepted.

* Saturday, March 22 - Chelsea, W. 26th b/t 8th & 9th Aves
* Saturday, March 22 - Dumbo, Pearl Street Triangle (at Water & Front Sts)
* Saturday, March 29 - Park Slope, 5th Ave b/t Sterling & Douglass
* Sunday, March 30 - Staten Island, JCC parking lot, 1466 Manor Rd
Spring Cleaning at the Staten Island JCC
Sunday, March 30, Various Times
Staten Island Jewish Community Center, 1466 Manor Road
 
Between 10am-3pm, bring clean and dry clothing, paired shoes, bedding, linens, hats, handbags, belts, fabric scraps 36"x36" or larger and other textiles for reuse or recycling with Wearable Collections (no rugs, carpeting or commercial waste). MillionTreesNYC will be on hand from 12pm-2pm with trees to give away to NYC residents. From 10am-4pm, responsibly recycle old computers and other electronics with the Lower East Side Ecology Center. From 10am-2pm, get answers to your recycling questions at GrowNYC's recycling information table.

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GrowNYC's OFFICE OF RECYCLING OUTREACH & EDUCATION (OROE) works to improve the City's recycling rate by educating residents about recycling and waste prevention, and working with landlords to make sure building recycling programs are adequate. Our free services include apartment building recycling audits, trainings for tenants and supers, community events centered on education and special collection programs for textiles, electronics, and compost. OROE's current intensive efforts target one-quarter of New York City's residents. Our five borough-wide coordinators work on a community-by-community basis to identify and address the specific challenges to recycling within a Community District. For more information visit www.grownyc.org or call 212-788-7964.   
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