DEAR SUN SPOTS: Where can I recycle my Styrofoam, batteries and CFL light bulbs? They’re piling up and I’d really like to do my part in protecting the environment by keeping them out of the landfills. — Mark, Minot.

ANSWER: Good question. Sun Spots is happy to have such environmentally conscious readers. The items you listed can be recycled, but finding a place to do so is challenging and some may require a bit of a drive. Packing and shipping stores will often take donations of Styrofoam peanuts, but according to www.loosefillpacking.com, which allows you to search for locations accepting such donations by zip code, in the state of Maine, there are only three such stores accepting donations. These include Global Packing and Shipping located at 25 Washington St. in Camden, Mail-It Unlimited at 45 Portland Road in Kennebunk and The UPS Store at 4 Scamman St. in Saco. Maybe a reader can share some information about places closer to the Lewiston/Auburn area that accept Styrofoam.

Several local locations act as recycling drop-off locations for rechargeable batteries. These include Staples in Lewiston, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Best Buy in Auburn, and the Sabattus Transfer Station and the Lewiston Solid Waste Facility. Incidentally, these same locations also recycle your old cell phones.

You can bring your CFL lightbulbs, which contain small amounts of the heavy metal mercury, to Lighting Concepts or Dillen True Value Hardware — both located on Sabattus Street in Lewiston, or to the Auburn Public Works Department, the Town of Oxford Transfer Station, the Town of Mechanic Falls, Steve’s Hardware and Rental in Sabattus, Wilton Hardware Store in Wilton, Aubuchon Hardware in Lisbon Falls and Farmington, Farmington Farmer’s Union, and Reny’s and Going’s Electric in Farmington. There are likely other places as well, but it seems your best bet it to contact your local transfer stations and hardware stores and ask if they act as collection sites for your old CFL lightbulbs.

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