Plastic bags are not a recyclable item as listed on the Recycling Collection Calendar. All recyclable items can be co-mingled together and should be left clean and loose in a container (not a plastic bag) which is clearly marked “RECYCLING”. The Department of Environmental Protection has banned plastic bags from the list of acceptable recyclable items. Please visit RecycleSmartMA.org for questions about recyclable items.
Recycling is taken to a material recycling facility where it is separated by material type on a conveyor belt and the plastic bags get caught in the mechanized conveyor system and require the operation to stop. The most recent hauling contract the Town entered into with Republic Services requires the Town to pay a disposal fee for recyclable materials when they are delivered to the material recycling facility. The fee charged by the material recycling facility is based on many factors including the market value of each material type and the quality of the recycling material delivered to their site. While the Town has no control over the market value of these materials we can and do try to educate our residents on the proper way to recycle all possible recyclable materials in order to reduce the contamination level of the recycle materials set out at the curb.
Plastic bags can be discarded in your town green trash bags with your other household trash or you can recycle them at any of the local department stores (such as Walmart) or a supermarkets (such as Stop and Shop) with containers for plastic bags usually located at the entrance to the store. The reason the plastic bags are appropriate for disposing of trash is because all our trash is taken to a Waste to Energy incinerator where it is burned and converted to electricity.
- Take it or Leave it Day – Canceled due to the size limits of outdoor gatherings but the town hopes to bring it back next year.
- Household Hazardous Waste Day – Saturday October 23, 9 am – noon, at DPW Garage.
- View additional information and resources regarding the Town’s Pay as you Throw (PAYT) curbside collection service.