Upcoming Events:
Composting Workshop
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Textiles Recycling:
It was great to see many of our at the Textile Recycling workshop on June 21st. We hope the workshop was just the start of a larger educational campaign to let residents know the astonishing fact that 95% of all textiles can be recycled.
Here's are a few resources to help you spread the word:
Holey Socks, Not in the Trash
SMART Textile Recycling!
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Recycling Works: Business and Institution Recycling Assistance Program: If a business needs help setting up a recycling program- you now have a number to give them. Call (888) 254-5525 or email info@RecyclingWorksMA.com The Recycling Works program is run by the Center for Eco Technology, under a contract with MassDEP. |
Funded in part through a grant from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protections
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Home Composting Workshop
Wednesday, August 8th, 6:30pm @ Sandwich Town Hall Auditorium (130 Main Street)
Click Here to RSVP or call Chris St. Pierre at (508) 375-6690.
How would you like to improve your soil while getting rid of nearly half of your household garbage at the same time? Composting is the answer. Learn how to turn coffee grounds, tea bags, fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, yard waste and even paper towels into "black gold" that will transform your soil into rich, fertile earth. Ann McGovern of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will lead a workshop that will cover the basics of composting, different types of bins, indoor worm composting for apartment-dwellers, and how compost can eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides in your yard and garden. Download a flyer and help spread the word in your town! |
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Regional Waste Disposal Bid Released
On Monday, July 9th the Cape Cod Commission issued a Request for Quotes (RFQ) for the disposal and/or transportation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). In 2015 many local contracts with SEMASS will expire. The RFQ was developed through the work of the Cape Cod Solid Waste Advisory Committee (CCSWAC) and represents a collaborative effort between the Cape Cod Commission and municipalities on Cape Cod and throughout the South Shore of Massachusetts. Quotes are due in early August. |
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Waste-to-Energy & Recycling Plant Tours?
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Stacks of bailed aluminum cans ready to be shipped at the Casella recycling facility in Charlestown
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Are you interested in group tours of the Covanta SEMASS waste-to-energy facility in Rochester, MA and the Casella ZeroSort recycling facility in Charlestown, MA?
If you think you would like a tour of either facility, please let me know and I will try to schedule a field trip for a day later in the summer. You can let me know by email at dquinn@barnstablecounty.org or by phone at (508) 375-6974.
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Wellfleet Recycling PSA
Check out the Wellfleet Recycling Committee's first public service announcement, "Find A Recycling Bin," on Youtube. It was filmed right on Main Street in Wellfleet by Jefferson Thomas/Arg Films (a Recycling Committee member). Please share.
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That Pesky Recycling Rate
 Are you struggling to figure out your town's recycling rate now that MassDEP has stopped calculating the number for Massachusetts municipalities?
A recycling rate may be useful to compare your town's progress from year-to-year, but it doesn't tell the whole story. There are many ways of diverting material from the waste stream that are nearly impossible to measure and difficult to capture in a recycling rate, such as home composting and donating to thrift shops. If you're looking to compare your town's performance with other Massachusetts towns, consider looking at the amount of solid waste tonnage produced per household, which can more accurately account for other forms of waste diversion.
If you would like to figure out your town's recycling rate, MassDEP's has information on their website that explains in detail how the rate was calculated prior to 2008. Feel free to contact me (at the number or email listed below), if you have questions or need help with measuring your waste reductions efforts. Keep up the good work!
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Best,
Dave Quinn
Regional Waste Reduction Coordinator,
Barnstable County
dquinn@barnstablecounty.org
(508) 375-6974
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