Solid Waste Services - Recycling Information

Put your old stuff to good use -- reuse!
Sometimes, in our haste to dispose of unwanted items such as books, furniture, appliances or electronic equipment, we forget that these items can be reused.

Thrift shops
Many charitable organizations and nonprofit groups operate thrift shops that accept these materials. Please look in your telephone book yellow pages under "Thrift Shops." An additional advantage - in many cases your donations are tax deductible - just remember to get a receipt!

Consignment shops
Consignment shops also are a good way to reuse these items and to recover some of your original investment. These shops have become very popular for their slightly used goods. Please look in your phone book listing under "Consignment."

Local libraries are a good way to reuse unwanted books, magazines, craft project instructions, videos, DVDs and CDs. In addition to reducing the waste stream, these donations also help support your library system. Check with your local library branch for further details.

OK, now that you’ve decided to reduce the volume of junk mail you receive, how do you go about it? Start by registering with the Mail Preference Service of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). It won’t guarantee you a life free of junk mail, but it can help. Just remember to register your full name and any variations of it (for example, James T. Roll, Jim Roll, J. T. Roll, etc.). DMA will list you in its database in the “Do Not Mail” category. Direct marketers are not required to check the database, but most companies that send large volumes of bulk mail do use the DMA service. They realize there is no percentage in routinely sending mail to people who don’t want it and have taken action to prevent it.

Get off the lists
You can also go to OptOutPreScreen.com, which can enable you to remove your name from lists that mortgage, credit card and insurance companies use to mail you offers and solicitations. It’s a centralized website run by the four major credit bureaus in the United States: Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion.

Most businesses check with one or more of these companies before accepting your credit card or granting you credit for a long-term purchase. They also are a huge source of names and addresses for credit card, mortgage and insurance companies that routinely send junk mail to attract new customers and solicit new business. But there’s a way to fight back. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires credit bureaus to delete your name from their rented lists if you make the request.

Contact companies that send you mail
If you are serious about ridding your life of as much junk mail as possible, then simply registering with these services may not leave enough space in your mailbox. You also should ask all of the companies you patronize to place your name on their “do not promote” or “in-house suppress” lists.

If you do business with a company by mail, it should be on your contact list. This includes magazine publishers, any companies that send you catalogs, credit card companies, etc. It’s best to make this request the first time you do business with a company, because it will prevent the company from selling your name to other organizations, but you can make the request at any time.

Keep track of your name
As an extra precaution, some organizations recommend that you track where companies are getting your name by using a slightly different name whenever you subscribe to a magazine or begin a new mail relationship with a company. One strategy is to give yourself fictional middle initials that match the name of the company. If your name is Jennifer Jones and you subscribe to Vanity Fair, simply give your name as Jennifer V.F. Jones, and ask the magazine not to rent your name. If you receive a piece of junk mail addressed to Jennifer V.F. Jones, you’ll know where the company got your name.

The website JunkBusters.com provides guidelines for reducing junk mail and other intrusions, from unwanted e-mail (spam) to telemarketing.

Do yourself and the environment a favor. Keep the junk mail out of your mailbox and out of the landfill!

Also...if you are receiving unwanted newspapers (discount classified papers, newspaper free sections) and do not want them delivered to your home, you may call the paper and request that it stop.

Volusia County's Solid Waste Division offers a variety of information on subjects covered in this section. Please call 386-943-4905 to schedule a free tour of the Tomoka Landfill or West Volusia Transfer Station or to arrange for a presentation to your school or civic group.

Free booklets and pamphlets also are available. Call 386-943-4905 for a booklet on Recycling Drop-Off Sites, Recycling Buy-back Centers or the Dual-sort Recycling System.