Hey, Westport: There’s a problem in town. Recycling contamination is rampant.
Sp the Department of Public Works has launched a campaign to educate residents on proper practices.
Six days a week, residents and private haulers bring recyclables to the transfer station. The next stop is a waste recovery facility in Shelton, where it’s sorted, then sold as commodities to manufacturers for reuse.
Some materials arrive clean, dry and loose. Others don’t. Containers filled with leftover food and cardboard boxes still packed with Styrofoam are common issues.
Small changes can make a big difference.
The 3 major sources of contamination are easy to remember: “No Bags, No Food, No Foam.”
No Bags: Never place recyclables in plastic bags. Although it may seem convenient, all bagged recycling must be discarded at the Materials Recovery Facility due to OSHA safety regulations.
No Food: Empty and rinse all containers before recycling. Food and liquid residue can contaminate entire loads, causing them to be rejected.
No Foam: Styrofoam cannot be recycled in our area. Dispose of it in the trash, and remove packing materials from boxes before recycling them. Styrofoam easily breaks apart and spreads, contaminating other recyclables.
DPW director Pete Ratkiewich says, “Improper recycling creates additional processing costs for the town — costs that are ultimately passed on to residents. By following these simple guidelines, you can help keep Westport’s recycling program efficient and cost-effective.”
Rinse thoroughly before recycling!
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Yesterday’s item about tickets for Staples High School’s Pops Concert (Friday, June 5), included confusing information on the day tickets are available online.
You can order tickets beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 22. Click here for the link. Remember: first-come, first-served!
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Kyle Martino is many things.
At Staples High School he was the 1999 Gatorade High School Soccer Player of the Year. He was MLS Rookie of the Year, and earned 8 caps with the US men’s national team. He’s one of the best soccer broadcasters around, and the inventor of Goalpher, an innovation that turns basketball courts into mini-pitches.
Oh, yeah: Kyle, who now lives back in Westport, also created Street FC. They host street-style pickup games in unexpected spaces, from basketball and tennis courts to rooftops and empty lots, making it easy for anyone to show up and play.
Who showed up the other day with Kyle, on a Bronx street?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Wearing an Arsenal jersey, he joined Kyle — and a gang of kids — in an impromptu game.
Click here or below, to watch.
PS: Who has better skills: Kyle or the mayor?
It’s actually pretty close.
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Former Tree Board chair Dick Fincher died in 2024. Over many decades he contributed greatly to Westport, in many ways.
One was as a driving force behind the Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum, adjacent to Earthplace and just a few steps from his Old Hill home.
Soon, the Tree Board will honor him with a plaque, celebrating his dedication and love in creating the 12-acre park, then maintaining and caring for it.
Volunteers will reclaim a small area overtaken by invasives. Fittingly, it’s a spot Dick often watered, tending to daffodils and jack-in-the-pulpits.
Dick Fincher, at the Wadsworth Arboretum. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The “Shake It For Shea” online auction is now live.
Whether you’ll be at tomorrow’s 4th annual gala (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., The Knowlton, Bridgeport) to raise money for Long QT Syndrome research at Mayo Clinic through Project Shea — Westporter Mark and Kira Greenfield’s great cause — or not, everyone can click here to bid.
Highlights include:
Golf: Grove XXIII, Winged Foot, Sleepy Hollow, Quaker Ridge, Philadelphia Cricket Club and more.
New York Knicks: First row seats at Madison Square Garden, a private shooting clinic at your home court with Allan Houston, a round of golf with John Starks and Larry, or watching a road game alongside Stephon Marbury.
Entertainment: A live taping of “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen, 2 tickets to “& Juliet” on Broadway, a “Dancing with the Stars” taping, or VIP access to a closed-door Broadway show reading.
Dining: Dinner for 4 at Carbone NYC, the tasting menu at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, an 8-person in-home dinner cooked by celebrity chef Chris Nirschel, and more.
Travel: A week in a brand-new 4-bedroom villa in Cap Cana with a private chef and staff, plus stays at Ocean House, Brazilian Court Palm Beach, Plaza Athenee, Commodore Perry Estate, and more.
Sports memorabilia: Authenticated autographed pieces from Eli Manning, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Malik Nabers, Ray Lewis, Cal Raleigh, Paul Skenes and many more.
And those are just some of the great items.
Every dollar raised goes toward Long QT Syndrome research at Mayo Clinic through Project Shea.
The Shake It For Shea fundraiser.
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There’s plenty of purple in the photo above — and a ton of fuchsia in the “Westport … Naturally” image below:
(Photo/Niki van Praag)
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And finally … happy 76th birthday to the great (and ageless) Stevie Wonder!
We could have picked dozens of great songs. Here are just 3:
(It would be “wonder”-ful if every reader supported “06880.” Or just half! Or a quarter, even. Please click here to show some love for this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
