Did you know you can recycle toothbrushes and disposable razors in Monroe County?

Perhaps the strangest thing someone has tried to recycle at the Waste Reduction District of Monroe County's southside recycling center is a sailboat about 16 feet long. Elisa Pokral, community outreach coordinator for the district, said that's not something they can take.

But there are items you can recycle that might surprise you. Here four things you may not know you can recycle in Monroe County.

Used toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and their packaging

Thanks to a program that began this spring, you can now bring your worn-out toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and caps, floss containers, electric toothbrush heads and the plastic packaging that they come in to the district's South Walnut Street Recycling Center.

Don't bring bamboo toothbrushes (those are compostable, so just throw them in the trash or compost bin), electric toothbrushes, or floss picks. Toss the cardboard backing into the proper recycling receptacle.

Disposable razors, razor blades and their packaging

Since spring, the South Walnut Street center also has been accepting used disposable razors, razor blades and the plastic packaging. (No electric razors. Cardboard should be placed in the proper bin.)

The toothbrush and razor recycling programs are part of a national partnership recycling program sponsored by Terracycle, headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey.

"I wish more counties would do this," Pokral said, adding that as the program grows, it may be added to all of the five recycling centers at the same time instead of on a rotating basis.

Books and magazines can be recycled

Have tattered and torn books that can't be given to a nonprofit group to resell? Take them (dry, please) to one of the five Monroe County recycling centers so they can be recycled. Have magazines you no longer want? Those can also be recycled in the bins for paper.

Paint still in the can for someone's project

Maybe you bought paint that just wasn't the right color, or have some left from your last project. However you obtained that shade of periwinkle, goldenrod or amethyst paint, you can pay it forward for someone else's project at the South Walnut Street Recycling Center. Full or partial cans are accepted.

What are the days and hours for the South Walnut Street Recycling Center?

The South Walnut Street Recycling Center, at 3400 S. Walnut St., is open 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

What to do with old hot tubs, mattresses, swing sets, car seats and more in Monroe County

OK, so they don't take sailboats, but Pokral said the district does take a lot of bulky items from Monroe County residents, including hot tubs and pools. Each month, the free bulky item disposal is available at one the four rural recycling centers. Only Monroe County residents — not businesses, residents of other counties, commercial haulers, schools, government entities or nonprofit groups — can drop off items. There is no assistance for unloading and district officials reserve the right to reject items (like sailboats).

Items accepted include hot tubs, chairs, couches, dressers, mattresses and box springs, tables, baby furniture, car seats, booster seats, dog houses, wooden bed frames, rugs (but not carpet), bathtubs, toilets, large toys (that don't fit in a trash bag), swing sets, spas and covers, pools, empty planters and ceramic pots. If an item is made from metal, then it should be placed in the scrap metal recycling pile.

These unusable items do go to the landfill, Pokral said, but that's only after they can no longer be used.

For more about what can be recycled and where, go to https://wastereductiondistrict.com/.

Contact Carol Kugler atckugler@heraldt.com