Thanks as always for your wonderful newspaper. For those of us who are fortunate enough to own or rent a house in Ocean Beach, I would like to describe the difference between items that are recyclable here and those that are not. Different communities have different recycling guidelines, and items that are recyclable in Manhattan and other locations may not be recyclable in Ocean Beach. Many of us care about recycling, and it's important to follow Ocean Beach's program so that our efforts are in line with our local guidelines.

Ocean Beach recycling is regulated by the town of Islip. Kudos to Stang Carting for handling our trash and recycling with their prompt pickups on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. In Ocean Beach, recycling is picked up on Sunday only (if put out on Wednesday, the recycling goes into the trash pickup).

Metal, Glass and Plastic: Do recycle tin and beverage cans, glass bottles without the metal lids (toss the lids in the garbage), and plastic bottles for soda, water, detergent, shampoo – only items with no. 1 or 2 in the recycling containers. It's important to understand that we don't recycle plastic containers that held food (fresh food like sandwiches from the deli, "clam shells", yogurt or sour cream containers, used plastic cups). These items are trash. Hangars, toys, and plastic bags are also not recyclable.

Paper and Cardboard: Do recycle newspapers, magazines, Sunday inserts, and corrugated cardboard (tied or taped and placed on top of the WRAP recycling pail. Don't recycle office paper and wrapping paper. Throw out pizza boxes.

And, to make the recycling program effective, place your plastic and glass items loose in the WRAP can, not in a plastic bag. If the WRAP pail contains plastic bags or items that are not recyclable, the contents are contaminated and destined for the trash.

For more information, stop by the Village Office for an informational flier or check out the town of Islip's website.

Diana Hein, Chair, Ocean Beach Environmental Commission