NEWARK, Ohio — Licking County Recycling is warning residents to stop treating its drop-off sites as places to dispose of household trash after a particularly severe dumping incident at Flory Park in Newark. A contractor arriving at the site on the morning of Sept. 16 found waste spread across the ground around several recycling bins. A recliner and other furniture had also been abandoned at the location, according to Licking County Recycling Director Andrea Krava. “People are also really nervous we’re going to take this recycling away because people are abusing it at this point,” Krava said. “It’s unlikely we’re going to take this site away because this is our busiest site in the entire county. But we may have to at some point.” Krava said occasional litter and prohibited items are not new problems, but the amount and distribution of waste at Flory Park made the latest incident unusually serious. The recycling program shared photographs of the mess on social media as a reminder that the drop-off locations are intended for recyclable materials, not general dumping. Flory Park collects more than 600,000 pounds of material annually, making it the county’s most heavily used recycling location. Across 23 drop-off sites, Licking County collects about 5 million pounds of material each year. County data shows that more than 90% of what residents place in the bins is recyclable, suggesting most users are following the program’s rules. But improper dumping creates extra cleanup work and can undermine the condition of public recycling facilities. Chip Gordon, who regularly uses Flory Park and other sites, said he has seen people misuse the locations. “Some places may be a little bit more than others, but there are definitely people that abuse the privilege,” he said. Krava said keeping the sites clean is central to the recycling program’s mission and urged residents to find appropriate disposal options for furniture, household trash and other materials that do not belong in the recycling bins.