Recycling

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If you are not sure about an item your thinking of putting in you recycle bin, type it in the search bar below.

Check out Recycle Smart, contains information about recycling programs, laws and what the state is doing going forward regarding recycling. Provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Click below. 

Recycle Smart
As part of our refuse services, we provide a GREEN recycling cart to every eligible resident, which is picked up every other week by our hauler, Waste Management. Depending on the neighborhood you live in, your green recycling cart will either have a GREEN or BLUE lid. For information on your collection day and week, please refer to the collection schedule on our homepage.

As recycling markets change, so do the items we are able to put in our recycling cart. That is why frequent and continual education is vital to what we do here at the SW&R Office. We encourage everyone to stay informed on what to and what not to recycle in your green recycling cart for the safety of Waste Management facility employees, the preservation of our resources and support of our economy.

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Some common mistakes that we see in Recycling bins are :  

#1 Recycling in plastic bags  

#2 Plastic Bags (shopping bags, trash bags, produce bags, Amazon bags), Clear Wraps (bottled water packing), shipping bubble wrap, plastic drop covering. 

#3 Styrofoam 

  • Kitchen items : glasses, plates, utensils, pots & pans, ceramic dishes/cups/mugs  
  • Disposable Paper goods : tissues, napkins, paper towels, used paper plates
  • Big plastic items : storage containers & their lids, tote boxes, plastic drawers, 5-gallon buckets
  • Wood  items : furniture, picture frames, tools, decorations 
  • Mirrors
  • Electronics plug-in or battery (coffee makers, telephones, crock pots, cell phones, VCRs TV)
  • Hangers any kind (plastic, metal, wood) 
  • Dirty / wet cardboard or paper (pizza box) 
  • Textiles & Clothing : shoes, socks, jackets, blankets/bedding including pillows, rugs                         NOTE: It is illegal in MA to throw out 
  • Blow-up plastic items such as pool, floats or air beds                                                                              textiles Clothing and Textile Recovery | Mass.gov
  • Window blinds and shades 
  • Curtain rods
  • Mops and brooms any kind 
  • Rubber : garden hose, bike tube/tire, car matt, welcome matt 
  • Tarps
  • Food or drinks
  • Wiper Blades
  • Air filters
  • Shower curtains 
  • Toys
  • Inflatables 
... and a lot more. Please do your part to educate yourself on what is and is not recyclable. If there's anything not listed here, search using our Recyclopedia at the top of the page. You can also look in the Deeper Dive section for more helpful information about recycling do's and don'ts. 


Wipe it, rinse it and recycle it!

Food waste and dirty containers contaminate entire loads of  recyclable items,  increasing the cost to the city.   Please help by recycling clean items!

Common Don'ts

  1. 1 No Inflatables
  2. 2 Cups Dishes
  3. 3 Pots / Pans
  4. 4 Mops / Brooms
  5. 5 No Rubber
  6. 6 no hose
  7. 7 Wiper blads
  8. 8 No Shower Curtains
  9. 9 No Air Filters
  10. 10 NO STYROFOAM
  11. 11 blinds
  12. 12 No curtain rods
  13. 13 No food or drink
  14. 14 5 gl bucket
  15. 15 No Pee Pads
  16. 16 cloths
  17. 17 No Shoes
  18. 18 No Stuffed animals
  19. 19 mirror
  20. 20 electronic-devices
  21. 21 wood
Green Bin
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What numbers should go in your bin?  1 2 5 YES        3 4 6 7   NO

Symbol
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Short video on Recycling Symbols 

https://youtube.com/shorts/TmCZaaJsjeo?si=0hiHwhWu8edY-dlk

Recycle Tetxiles

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Sitetools

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