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Recycling: A Fact Sheet for Residents
This page summarizes the basic recycling rules and instructions for Massachusetts citizens.
What materials can be recycled?
Newspaper, office paper, cardboard, glass bottles, metal cans, scrap metal, and plastic bottles and jugs account for about 60 percent of the solid waste stream, according to the U.S. EPA. These items are the most common materials targeted for recycling in Massachusetts. Numerous processors and end-users for these materials in Massachusetts and in the New England region make recycling convenient and cost-effective.
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Where can residents recycle?
Ninety-five percent of Massachusetts municipalities offer residents some opportunity to recycle, and many businesses offer recycling in the workplace. To find out whether your community collects recyclables at the curb or at a drop-off center, call your local Public Works Department or Board of Health, or check Recycling in My Community.
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What is the importance of sorting and preparing recyclables?
Every manufacturer's goal is to make a quality item, and recycled materials must compete with virgin feedstocks for purity. Contaminants can damage processing machinery and cause imperfections in the new product. A single ceramic cup can ruin all of the glass collected from your entire neighborhood. Recycling is not only a technical term, it is an economic one as well. There are many materials or consumer packages marked "recyclable" for which there are no regional markets. A private company or municipality may not collect all materials. Higher labor costs may be incurred for some materials due to more rigorous sorting requirements. This may increase the cost to recycle such a material.
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What is the State's role in recycling?
Recycling depends on a three-part "recycling loop" that includes collection, manufacturing, and purchase of recycled products. Municipal and business collection programs ensure a steady supply of materials (cans, bottles, paper) for the recycling process. Private recycling companies use these materials to manufacture new products. Finally, consumers and businesses must purchase the finished recycled products in order to support a sustainable recycling loop. The State supports closing the recycling loop through a variety of programs, including offering equipment grants to municipalities, initiating the deposit container law (bottle bill), providing financing assistance to manufacturers, purchasing recycled products, and promoting "buy recycled" programs among business, consumers, and industry. Examples of recycling programs managed by MassDEP include:
- Municipal Recycling Grants to municipalities for recycling collection systems includes funding for curbside recycling trucks, set-out containers, consumer education materials, Pay-As-You-Throw bags and stickers, household hazardous waste equipment, and Universal Waste storage sheds. Call 617-292-5638 for grant application information.
- Recycling Rules or "Waste Bans" prohibit the disposal of certain recyclable items at solid waste landfills and incinerators in Massachusetts. The rules are located in the State's solid waste facility management regulations, 310 CMR 19.017.
- The Recycling Loan Fund provides loans to recycling-related businesses to increase access to capital for the recycling industry. Loans are made for the processing, reuse, or manufacturing of non-hazardous solid wastes.
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What is recycling's "bottom line"?
Recycling paper, glass, steel, aluminum, and plastic saves energy and resources and reduces the amount of waste and pollution generated when the materials are produced. It also saves us millions of dollars by extending the lives of our remaining landfills and offering a cost competitive alternative for disposal of large portions of the solid waste stream. Recycling industries support more than 19,000 jobs in Massachusetts, and recyclable materials are the largest export from the Port of Boston.
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Where can I find additional information about recycling?
Your local Department of Public Works or Board of Health official can usually providespecifics on your community's program. The Yellow Pages are another resource.
The following state and national environmental and educational non-profit organizations also offer recycling information:
- Center for Ecological Technology, Pittsfield, MA 413-445-4556
- Environmental Defense Fund, New York, NY 212-505-2100
- Fundamental Action to Conserve Energy, Fitchburg, MA 508-345-5385
- Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, Boston, MA 617-292-4800
- National Office Paper Recycling Project, Washington, DC 202-293-7330
- National Recycling Coalition, Alexandria, VA 703-683-9025
The following industry organizations provide recycling information for specific materials:
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priorities & results
reduce, reuse, recycle
