Upcoming Events
Cape Cod Solid Waste Contract Advisory Committee Meeting
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Conference Room, Cape Cod Commission Office 3225 Main Street, Barnstable SWANA Southern NE ChapterRecycling & Solid Waste ConferenceJiminy Peak Mountain Resort Hancock, Massachusetts October 21, 2013 Download Flyer
NERC Fall Conference on Organics Management
October 29 & 30
Northampton, Massachusetts.
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Upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Collections
Towns: Barnstable
Date: August 24, 8:30 - noon
Location: Barnstable Transfer Station, 45 Flint St. Marstons Mills Towns: Brewster, Chatham, Harwich
Date: Sept. 14, 9am - noon
Location: Harwich Transfer Station, 209 Queen Anne Rd.
Towns: Dennis
Date: Sept 14, 9am - 1pm
Location: Tony Kent Arena, 8 South Gage's Way
Towns: Orleans & Eastham
Date : Sept. 21, 9am - noon
Location: Orleans DPW & Highway Garage, 22 Bay Ridge
Rd. Towns: Barnstable
Date: Sept. 28, 8:30 - noon
Location: Barnstable Transfer Station, 45 Flint St. Marstons Mills
For more information on proper disposal of hazardous materials, please call 508-375-6698.
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A ReStore is a place to buy or donate used furniture, appliances, door and windows, and building supplies. All their merchandise is sold at significant discounts. All sales support Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod.
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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. Click here to learn how to install the RecyclingWorks widget on your local website. |
Funded in part through a grant from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protections
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A Styrofoam Dilemma
Polystyrene (or Styrofoam) has become ubiquitous in our society in the form of coffee cups, food trays, and packaging. Although polystyrene is technically recyclable, due to its low density and high cost to transport it is not economical to collect and recycle in most municipal drop-off or curbside programs.  A recent story by New England Cable News (NECN) looked at one Massachusetts community that has taken matters into its own hands and banned the use of disposable polystyrene. Our region's favorite coffee shop, Dunkin Donuts, has responded by phasing out the use of polystyrene cups there. However, as you will see, the alternative isn't perfect either. Click here or on the image above to watch the video. And next time you grab a coffee on the run, consider bringing a reusable travel mug - many local coffee shops even offer discounts if you do. |
 Swap Shop Tours!
Need a new set of dishes? Some reading material for the beach? How about an old pair of skis? Chances are, if you live on Cape Cod, there is something in your house that was picked up at a local swap shop. In addition to being a great source for reusable items, swap shops are valuable because they help divert items from the waste stream - this saves towns money and is good for the environment. However, they can pose some interesting challenges to town officials and volunteers.
Here are two opportunities to tour local swap shops and discuss best management practices:
Harwich & Chatham Swap Shop Tours
Wednesday, August 28th, 9am - 12:30pmThis tour is geared towards members of Recycling Committees on the Lower Cape. However, there may be a few additional spaces available. Click here for a flyer with more information. Since space is limited, please RVSP to Sheila Hoogeboom at contact@capecdp.org, or 508-240-7873 x 13.
Wellesley & Sherborn Swap Shop Tours - hosted by MassRecycle's Southeast Municipal Recycling Council
Wednesday, September 11th, 10am - 12:30pm. More details will be announced soon. Please email me at dquinn@barnstablecounty.org if you are interested in attending or carpooling and I will send you more information when it is available.
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MY ECO: Reduce Bags & Raise Money
MY ECO is a new program that incentivizes consumers to eliminate single use bags at retail stores while raising money for schools and charities. Here's some info about the program from founder Kristen Brown:
 "Students and their families will raise money for schools by shopping with reusable grocery bags at Shaw's Supermarkets this fall.
MY ECO is launching an innovative mobile app that helps consumers break the disposable plastic and paper bag habit by connecting the action of 'reuse' with a positive reward in the form of a donation to a school or charity. By simply scanning a QR code at checkout, the customer tracks reuse and banks the donation on behalf of their school. If 100 families sign up to support their school and shop each week at Shaw's, they can raise over $3,000, just by shopping with their own bags. In addition, they would keep 100,000 single use bags out of landfills. Shoppers can now sign up for free at www.getmyeco.com.
The app measures personal reuse visits, the number of bags individuals are saving from landfill, and the funds raised for the school.
The MY ECO program begins September 1st.
Register your school or charity at http://www.getmyeco.com/newPartnerRegistration
Please contact Donna Anderson from MY ECO with questions - Donna@getmyeco.com or 973-310-2655."
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In the News
Here are a few solid waste and recycling related stories from around the Cape and beyond. Click on the underlined links below to read the full articles.
Sandwich set to seal trash deal with SEMASS - Cape Cod Times, August 21, 2013. Read article...
Truro considers dumping SEMASS - Cape Cod Times, July 30, 2013. Read article...
Trash Cash - The Pay-As-You-Throw Model may Nudge Boston to Recycle More - Boston Globe Opinion, August 10, 2013 - Read article...
Yarmouth Considers Pay-As-You-Throw System - The Register, Jul 27, 2013 - Read article...
Patrick Administration Announces Plan to Ban Disposal of Commercial Food Waste: $4M in grants, low-interest loans available for converting organics to renewable energy - MassDEP, July 10th, 2013 - Read article...
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Contact Me:
Dave Quinn
Regional Waste Reduction Coordinator,
Barnstable County
dquinn@barnstablecounty.org
(508) 375-6974
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