Many of us share environmental values are and are already participating in the recycling of items used in our daily lives. It’s an easy and satisfying way to keep non-degradable waste out of our landfills. But are you sure that all items you put into the city’s weekly recycling containers can be recycled? A few years back when Framingham started picking up our recycle items, it was a “no brainer.” The pick-up and process volume of waste was reduced and money was received for recyclable goods.
Things have changed since then. Our major buyer (China) has greatly reduced what it is willing to take which increases the city’s processing cost. We don’t have much control over this. We can, however, help reduce the sorting cost of what is and is not recyclable by being more selective of what goes into our recycle containers. Unacceptable items are often tossed into these containers, causing more sorting time for city workers.
Below is a City of Framingham DPW list of what can and cannot be put into weekly recycle containers.
Stay tuned to learn more after church on June 9 about how to reduce plastic.
Frank Carney for the Green Team
The following items are recyclable:
- Aluminum and Steel Cans
- Glass Bottles and Jars (empty and rinsed)
- Plastic Containers (empty and rinsed)
- Paper, Newspaper, Magazines, and Cardboard
The following items should not go in your bin:
- Plastic bags, or plastic wraps
- Food or liquids
- Clothing or linens
- Hoses, wires, chains, electronics
Please do not place your recyclables in a bag inside your bin. This makes the sorting process more difficult and the bags are not recyclable in the municipal system. Plastic bags can be returned to most grocery stores for recycling. Textiles can not be recycled in the single-stream system, but if you Google “Framingham textile recycling” you can find information about the city’s program that collects used clothing and other textiles for recycling.