Bethlehem Recycling Center to Open Tuesday After Two Weeks of Maintenance

Bring out your reusable material: Bethlehem’s Theis-Cornfeld Center is due to reopen Tuesday, July 1.

The city facility at 635 Illicks Mill Road has been closed for two weeks for maintenance.

I’ll be there Tuesday, with a few weeks of newspapers, cardboard and more. I also recycle in Bethlehem at curbside, but prefer to bring some items directly in.

The Theis-Cornfeld Center accepts certain materials; check its website. The center is limited to accepting what buyers will take. The recycling market varies by region, and just because some items are taken in California or elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley doesn’t mean Bethlehem takes them.

Here’s a quick rundown of what it takes, as of now, but policies can change fast. Also keep in mind, the center is not a dump. If you bring trash there, it will be going home with you.

Please show some respect for the workers. When they say “No,” they aren’t being rude. They are doing their job. Also don’t bring pets. Yes, yours may be well-behaved but another pet might not be. It’s not the place for animals or unattended children.

The center is named for Edwin Theis Jr. and Louis Cornfeld, the victims of a fatal car accident at the center in 2002.

The city’s capital plan has included a proposal to move the recycling facility to Schoenersville Road, home of the compost center, but no timeline has been set.

Go by the website, and remember, there are many kinds of plastic and most are not recyclable. As a rule of thumb, single-use glass and plastic food and beverage containers are acceptable, but check the third item on the list below.

From the website:

These items are accepted at The Theis/Cornfeld Recycling Center on Illick’s Mill Road:

• Clear, green and brown glass (with labels and caps). We do not accept ornamental glass, drinking glasses, porcelain dishes, ceramics or window pane glass.
• Food-grade cans of steel, tin, bimetallic and aluminum; empty aerosol cans; no formed aluminum containers
• MOST # 1 through #7 plastics (remove caps and crush) (NO plastic bags, film, plastic toys) All items must be SMALLER THAN a 5 gallon bucket
• Newspapers (including inserts) tied in manageable bundles or in brown paper bags
• All books (hard & soft cover), magazines, catalogs, gift wrap, cards and shiny paper
• Corrugated cardboard and flatboard (tears brown, gray or white) PLEASE SEPARATE CORRUGATED CARDBOARD FROM FLATBOARD.  All materials must be DRY and not soiled (ie: paint, oil, food moisture, chemicals, etc).  Wet cardboard and flatboard will not be accepted.
• Mixed office paper, envelopes (with or without windows), index cards, manila folders, carbonless forms, shredded papers, calculator tape, copier and computer paper, etc.
• Telephone directories
• Scrap metals (includes anything that’s at least 50% metal) We DO NOT accept any type of TANK-this includes oxygen tanks, propane tanks, helium tanks, welding tanks, air compressor tanks, NO sealed vessels, NO PAINT CANS, motorized equipment such as lawn mowers, snow blowers, weed wackers must have gas and oil drained completely.
• No electronics (televisions, computer equipment, cellphones, etc.)
• Textiles: old clothes, paired shoes, belts, handbags/purses, drapes/curtains, towels, sheets & pillow cases, blankets, table cloths.  Not accepted:  Pillows, carpet or carpet remnants, canvas and rags.  Materials should be not be soiled or shredded and must be in clear plastic bags.
• White Goods, IE: Large appliances such as washers, dryers, ovens, stoves.  We DO NOT ACCEPT dishwashers, air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers or any type of appliance that uses freon.
• We do not accept mattresses or old furniture

WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY STYROFOAM MATERIAL AT THE THEIS/CORNFELD RECYCLING CENTER LOCATED ON ILLICK’S MILL ROAD. 

THE CITY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT CERTAIN RECYCLABLE MATERIALS BASED UPON CONSTANTLY CHANGING MARKET CONDITIONS. WE SUGGEST YOU CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR CLARIFICATION IF UNSURE OF ANY ITEMS YOU WISH TO RECYCLE AT OUR FACILITY.

For the safety of all our residents, employees and your beloved animals, pets are not permitted in the Theis/Cornfeld Recycling Center.