Recycling

Call 1-800-467-2801 for up to date info on daily curbside trash or recycling pick-up.

If curbside trash and recycling is cancelled on a particular day for any reason (snowstorm, holiday, etc.) pickup for each day that week will be delayed by one day with Friday's trash ultimately being picked up on Saturday.

We are very happy about the changes to curbside trash and recycling and one of the biggest changes is that by consolidating the pickups into one truck we have saved over $30,000 this year alone.

I was not happy with doing away with #4 – 7 plastics though. Unfortunately it was necessary. I found out that even though we accepted them in the past, the recycling plants have always treated them as trash. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is the difficulty to recycle these particular plastics. Very few plastics recycling facilities have made the effort to develop the reproduction capacity and markets for #4 – 7 plastics (there are none in this state as far as I know). The reason is that, while we think huge amounts of these plastics are being used, there isn’t enough volume to make recycling them cost effective. Plastics in general account for only about 5% of the municipal waste stream. Plastics # 1 – 3 account for almost 90% of this 5%. The rest is split between #4- 7. Consequently the reprocessing facilities have concentrated on # 1- 3.

All the plastics collected from both the curb and at the Drop Off Center go to the same facility so we will not be accepting them at the Center either.

I hope this answers your questions.

The curbside recycling program picks up on average 23 tons of mixed paper and 12 tons of co-mingled products a month. Another 18.8 tons of paper and 5.5 of co-mingle comes into the Recycling Center each month. This represents almost 60 tons a month that would be sent to a landfill but is now recycled.

If your recycling is not picked up on your scheduled day please call 1-800-467-2801.

If you need a recycling bin you can purchase it at the DPW for $5 each. If you wish to use a larger trash container for your recyclables we have some stickers available for free that can be placed on the container to let the recycling truck driver know it contains recyclables and not trash.

The drop off Recycling Center accepts the following items: paper, cardboard, scrap metal, plastics, glass, returnable cans and bottles, appliances, waste oil, antifreeze, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, leaves, brush, X-mas trees, tires, complaints and politicians.

The hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday – 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We are closed on Wed., Thurs. and Fri. from 12:00 to 12:30 for lunch.

THE DROP-OFF CENTER IS CLOSED SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY AND ALL HOLIDAYS. IT MAY ALSO BE CLOSED DURING SNOWSTORMS OR SEVERE COLD (LESS THAN 10 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT) WEATHER. PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE (1-978-422-6767) OR CHECK THE WEBSITE IF YOU QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT IT MAY BE OPEN.

Also located at the center is a swap area. People leave items that still have some value such as books and bicycles and other people come in and take them.

For more information and a calendar click on the link Recycling Brochure to see a PDF copy of the most recent mailing sent to all residents.

We recently received a state grant to purchase compost bins that we are reselling at a reduced rate of $20 each. Almost all kitchen waste can be placed in a compost bin which will decrease the weight of an average family's trash by 30-60%.

CRTs contain lead in the glass and solder used to encase the tube. A computer monitor, for example, contains about four pounds of lead (the exact amount depends on size and make). It is this lead content which raises concern over landfilling or incinerating discarded CRTs.

Electronic devices can contain other hazardous materials such as mercury, and hexavalent chromium in circuit boards, batteries, and color cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Mercury from electronics has been cited as a leading source of mercury in municipal waste.

Mercury can cause serious ecological and health problems when released to the environment through human activities. When mercury-containing debris is placed in the trash or poured down the drain, the mercury does not disappear. Mercury does not degrade and is not destroyed by combustion. It cycles between soils, the atmosphere and surface waters. It accumulates in tissue and is toxic. Once mercury is released into the atmosphere, it can travel long distances, settle on soil and wash into lakes and rivers and deposit in the sediments. It finds its way into the environment from waste incinerators, landfills, or wastewater treatment facilities.

Thermometers, mercury switches, chemistry kits, older lighted athletic shoes, flame sensors, manometers/barometers, waste dental amalgam, old latex paint (mercury was banned in latex paint in 1990), fluorescent/high density lamps, alkaline batteries. One drop of mercury entering a 20-acre lake annually is enough to elevate the mercury level in fish to a dangerous level! (The average thermometer holds 1-4 drops depending on size!) Thermostats and switches hold 3-4 drops! A manometer holds about 4 tablespoons!

If you have an unwanted encyclopedia set contact Hazel at the Wachusett Recycle Resource Center.