Brookhaven Town Schedules 13 Recycling Events, Secures $20,000 in Sponsorships
Brookhaven secured $20,000 from four waste industry partners to fund 13 recycling events in 2026, including cardboard drop-off accepted for the first time.
Supervisor Daniel J. Panico and the Brookhaven Town Council secured $20,000 in corporate sponsorships last week to fund 13 free Special Recycling Events distributed across the township's council districts throughout spring and fall 2026.
The contributions came from four industry partners: Gershow Recycling, Maggio Environmental LLC, Reworld Waste, and Winters Bros., a WM Company. Their collective funding underwrites a schedule reaching residents across one of Long Island's largest townships without drawing on general municipal funds, while keeping the per-event cost low enough to sustain 13 sites.
Each event accepts electronic waste, personal documents for on-site shredding, limited to five boxes per household, and old prescription medications for safe disposal. For 2026, the town added cardboard recycling to the accepted materials list for the first time, broadening the program's usefulness for households clearing garages and storage spaces ahead of a move or renovation.
The practical stakes behind these events go beyond convenience. Electronics contain heavy metals that require controlled handling and cannot safely enter the regular waste stream. Unused medications left in medicine cabinets carry both diversion risk and environmental hazard when flushed into the water supply. Unsecured documents fuel identity theft. Taken together, the absence of structured disposal options for these materials is a documented contributor to illegal dumping in Suffolk neighborhoods, and the town's collection events offer a direct, accessible alternative.
Turnout at past Brookhaven recycling events has consistently been high enough that organizers warn residents to arrive early to avoid being turned away. The events are open to Brookhaven residents only; proof of residency is required at each site. Commercial and institutional waste generators are not served by this program and must make separate disposal arrangements.
The full 2026 schedule, broken down by council district with specific dates, times, and drop-off locations, is posted on the Brookhaven Town website.
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