Recycle - Town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

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Board of Health

For more information on PAY AS YOU THROW click here.

Recycling Rules

The town provides curbside recycling every other week to all residents that receive rubbish collection. Click here for the recycling collection schedule.

Massachusetts State Law, and the town by-law, makes recycling mandatory in Shrewsbury. Paper, cardboard, junk mail and magazines, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, plastic containers marked with the recycling symbol and the numbers 1 through 7, and metal food and beverage containers must be separated from the trash and set out at the curb for recycling.

RECYCLING BINS are for sale in the Health Department:

18 gallon bins are $6.00
22 gallon bins are $8.50

Residents may also use trash barrels as recycling containers. The barrel must have a "RECYCLE" decal affixed to it (decals are free in the Health Department) or RECYCLE may be painted on the trash barrel. The barrel must weigh 30 lbs or less when full.

The Health Department is open 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday.

WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED AT THE CURB?

CONTAINERS:

Glass bottles and jars, all colors, no larger than 2 gallons
Aluminum or tin/steel food cans and clean aluminum foil
Plastic bottles and jars
Milk and juice cartons, drink boxes
Light weight plastic shopping bags
Place all containers in the recycling bin or barrel

PAPER:

Newspapers and inserts, sale ads
Junk mail
Magazines, catalogs, phone books
Boxboard or light weight cardboard, like shoe boxes, cereal boxes
Corrugated Cardboard
Place all paper items in a paper bag. Place the bag on or next to the recycling bin or barrel.

EXCLUDED MATERIALS:

No waxed paper, no hardcover books, no broken glass, no light bulbs, window or auto glass, no dishes, no pyrex. No containers over 2 gallons in size, no motor oil, chemical or foam containers, and no flower pots. This information may change as new opportunities to recycle are identified. Please check this list from time to time.

HOW SHOULD CORRUGATED CARDBOARD BOXES BE RECYCLED?

Cardboard that is folded into a bundle no more than two feet in any dimension or folded into a paper bag will be picked up with the recycling. Any cardboard that is too big to be folded into a paper bag or 2' bundle will not be picked up with the rubbish or the recycling. Big cardboard boxes should be flattened and placed in the dumpster at the Municipal Garage, 211 South Street. The container is marked "Corrugated Cardboard Only". It is accessible 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Monday through Friday and whenever there is a Saturday drop-off event.

BOOK RECYCLING

Hardcover books, CDs, DVDs, videos, audio books, and records can be recycled in the GOT BOOKS? container in the parking lot next to the Senior Center.

CLOTHING & TEXTILES

Donate shoes, clothing and household textiles (blankets, towels, curtains, etc.) in the charitable collection boxes around town.

Pay As You Throw (PAYT)

PAY AS YOU THROW (PAYT) will begin on August 4, 2008. PAYT is a system that sets a fee for every bag and item of trash put at the curb for rubbish collection.

Practice the 3 Rs: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and recycle all you can to minimize the number of trash bags you need to buy.

Click here for more information on PAY AS YOU THROW.

Recycling News

In an interesting article from a recent issue of the Cassandra Report, officials stated that PRECYCLING is becoming more popular with individuals who want to do more than "just toss cans and bottles in the recycle bin and let waste management sort it out." According to the report, precyclers avoid products that create excessive waste, such as plastic water bottles and polyethylene shopping bags.

For example, The Intelligence Group reported that, over the last six months, 45 percent of trendsetters and 14 percent of mainstream consumers lessened their purchases of bottled water, while 49 percent and 16 percent, respectively, diminished their use of plastic carryout bags during the same period.

Additionally, the report noted that precyclers look for ways to reduce or repurpose packaging, donate or resell electronic gadgets, plus they remove themselves from junk mail lists in hopes of lessening paper waste.

Recycling Links

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For more inquiries or information contact us at 508-841-8512.