How and What:
New residents are provided one green recycling bin (picked up at the Town Hall). More bins can be purchased, or you can acquire a free recycling sticker and place it on any container. Aluminum cans and plastic jugs can be crushed to save space.
One way to make recycling convenient is to use a small dedicated bin in the kitchen. When that fills up, you empty it into the green recycle bin.
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These are the basic types of items you will encounter. Click each category for more information below on what they include and how to recycle them:
Paper
What is allowed: Clean paper or cardboard
How: Place all paper products in a paper bag in green recycle bin.
- Financial/personal documents: Shred at home and dispose in trash. Occasionally there are shredder service events during the year.
- Printer/copier paper: Recycle
- Notebooks (with metal binders or staples)
- Textbooks
- Paperback books
- Hardcover books
- Phones books
- Envelopes (with or without plastic windows)
- Bubble pack envelopes
- Construction paper
- Toilet paper tubes
- Pasta containers
- Cereal boxes
- Paper milk or OJ containers: Dispose in trash
- Wax paper
- Pizza boxes
Plastics
What is allowed: Labeled #1 - #7. No Styrofoam.
Labels:
- #1 - PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
- #2 - HDPE (high density polyethylene)
- #3 - Vinyl or PVC
- #4 - LDPE (low density polyethylene)
- #5 - PP (polypropylene)
- #6 - PS (polystyrene)
- #7 - Miscellaneous
How: Place in green recycle bin (compress jugs if possible).
- Grocery bags: Supermarkets will take these back for recycling.
- Yogurt containers: Recycle
- Motor oil containers
- Antifreeze containers
- Plastic bottle lids
- Plastic gas cans (empty)
- Shower curtains
- Blister packs (without a recycle #)
Metals
- Steel cans
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Car/truck parts:
- Donate complete cars/trucks to charity.
- Windows
- Mufflers
- Gas tanks
- Catalytic converters
- Body panels
- Rubber tires
- Wheels
- Other
- Charcoal grills
- Gas grills
- Electric grills
- Tools
- Metal gas tanks (empty)
- Handheld propane tanks
- Grill propane tanks
- Helium tanks
Light Bulbs
- Incandescent bulbs
- Halogen bulbs
- Sodium-vapor bulbs: High vs. low pressure
- Florescent bulbs (long or compact florescent): Dropped off at Walmart in Reading, MA
- Lumber
- LED bulbs
Appliances/White Goods
- Washing machines
- Dryers
- Dishwashers
- Refrigerators
- Dehumidifiers
- Air conditioners
- Burners
- Hot water tanks
- Ovens
- Microwave ovens
- Stoves
Electronics
- LED/plasma TVs
- Projection TVs
- Printers
- Copiers
- Computers
- Cell phones
- Smoke detectors
- CO detectors
- Mercury thermostats
- Electronic thermostats
- Vacuum cleaners
- Cordless vacuums
- Power supplies
- Other electronics: Electronics can be dropped off for free at Staples and Best Buy.
- Batteries:
- Alkaline
- NiCD/NiMH/Li Batteries can be dropped off for free at Radio shack.
Organics (Items from the Kitchen)
- Vegetables/fruit: Compost or dispose in trash
- Meat: Wrap in plastic and dispose in trash
- Dairy (milk or cheese products): Trash
Yard Waste
- Leaves: Can be either composted, saved for the towns branch collection, or dropped off at the Department of Public Works compost pile
- Grass clippings
- Tree branches
- Weeds
- Dirt
- Sand
- Rocks
Chemicals and Hazardous Household Products
Click here for the Massachusetts guidelines and information on household hazardous waste.
- Oil paint
- Latex paint
- Paint stripper
- Stain
- Solvents
- Glue
- Car care products
- Used motor oil
- New motor oil: Consider reuse options.
- Cleaning products
Textiles
- Shoes: Any type (even worn) can be donated.
- Shirts/pants
- Underwear
- Jackets
- Gloves
- Sheets
- Curtains
Furniture
- Chairs
- Couches
- Tables
- Desks
- Rugs
- Mattresses
- Ceiling fans
Sharps
How: Store in a sharps container.
- Needles and syringes
- Razor blades
- Broken glass/mirrors
Building Waste (Demolition)
- Windows
- Doors: Consider using it to make a workbench top for your garage or basement.
- Wallboard
- Wood (with nails, ie: pallets)
- Wood (with paint)
- Water damaged wood
- Deck wood
- Cabinets
- Asphalt
- Concrete
- Bricks
- Roof shingles
- Aluminum gutters
- Vinyl flooring
- Asbestos based flooring
- Toilets
- Sinks