 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Ad Hoc Recycling Committee | |
| 37 Main Street Charlton, MA 01507 |
Phone: (508)
248-6271 Fax: n/a |
| Meetings: | 2nd Thursday of the month, 7:00pm Charlton Library, Local History Room |
Areas of Responsibility: The Recycling Committee was appointed by the Board of Health in November of 2004 to gather information about the possibility of starting a town wide recycling program. |
|
Next Household Hazardous Waste Day: TBA Casella Waste Services Facility 165 Barefoot Road (across from the landfill) Note: Proof of residency required - such as driver's license. Download the Flyer! Latex paint is no longer accepted. Find out what to do with leftover latex paint. For more information, visit Household Hazardous Waste Day Committee. |
|
Announcement: Compost Bin Program The Ad Hoc Recycling Committee is taking orders for compost bins to be delivered in the spring. Although the DEP is not funding a compost bin grant this spring, towns may purchase bins directly from the manufacturer at the state contract price of $53 when at least 20 bins are ordered. (If we do not get 20 orders, the price will increase to $57 per bin.) The bin available is the “Bin 24”. View the bin below. To order a bin, send a check for $53.00 payable to Town of Charlton to Joan Wieczorek, 60 Lincoln Point Road, Charlton, MA 01507. If you have questions, call Joan at 508-248-6865 or e-mail her at j.wieczorek@hotmail.com. All orders are due, paid in full, by April 15th. 
|
|
Recycling Matters by Linda Davis (August 2010) 
Fifty years ago schools taught the three “R’s”: “reading, writing and ‘rithmatic”; today when schools teach the three “R’s”, kids learn “reduce, reuse, recycle!” The purpose of today’s three “R’s” is to minimize the tonnage going into the waste stream. Rather than belabor the recycling point yet one more time, consider how to Reduce and Reuse.
“Reduce” is listed first in the three “R’s” and it remains the most effective and important way to minimize ecological impact. Those who preach reduction call for a simplified lifestyle: foregoing unnecessary purchases and becoming more content with having less. Examples are taking public transportation, buying fewer items, pausing to think before each purchase to determine if the item is really necessary. Corporate America promotes “recycle” but not “reduce” because fewer purchases mean smaller profits. The current economic downturn has forced many people to involuntarily “reduce” expenditures and make purchasing decisions based more on necessity than desire. Once the decision to buy has been made, there remain ways to “reduce” by choosing items with less packaging and waste. Buy one sturdy reusable water bottle instead of a case of plastic water bottles. The above example also illustrates a way to “reuse” an item, in this case a water bottle, many times. “Reuse” also means finding a new use for old items, such as donating recyclables to childrens’ art programs or to artists who use recycled materials. Selling items at a yard sale rather than throwing them out allows someone else to use something no longer needed. Join freecycle to post items you no longer want or ask for items you need and participate in a local “reuse” society. Donate used cell phones to organizations that refurbish them for the military overseas. If there is no time for yard sales or freecycling, take unwanted clothes and usable household items to the Salvation Army or other charitable foundation. All three “R’s” begin the same way: consciousness. Be mindful of material expenditures and aware of possible uses for all items before relegating them to the garbage bin. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Reclaim a healthy planet for future generations! The Ad Hoc Recycling Committee meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 pm in the Charlton Public Library. |
|
Related Links: Central MA Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC):
MA DEP Recycling Home Page OurEarth.org, Inc. South Central Recycling Association of Massachusetts, Inc. The Massachusetts Recycling Coalition Earth 911 (www.cleanup.org) |
|
Committee Members: Linda Davis, Chairperson, (508) 248-6271 or email Barbara Delano Nancy Jackson Roland Jackson Sally Larmon Betty Poynton Kathleen Walker Joan Wieczorek |
|