Southborough’s Recycle Center accepts glass bottles and jars, metal and #1 thru #7 plastic containers all in the same collection bin. The E.L. Harvey company hauls our commingled recyclables, paper and cardboard in separate bins to a plant in Westborough where workers sort through the materials, removing items placed in the wrong bin or too dirty to use.
Is recycling the law?
It is against the law to dispose of the following items at transfer stations, landfills, and incinerators: paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic containers, leaves, yard waste, lead acid batteries and large appliances. As well as fluorescent bulbs and cathode ray tubes (CRTs) found in TVs and computer monitors, thermometers and thermostats that contain mercury. Our recycling facility has places for you to dispose of all of the above, except for CRT's, see Recycling Guide for disposal.
What is the most commonly recycled item?
More paper is recycled in the United States than all other materials combined. But that’s still less than half of the paper Americans use.
There are many kinds, or grades, of paper. Office paper, newspaper, corrugated boxes, cereal boxes and paper shopping bags can all be produced from recycled fibers. Any of these paper products that you are finished using can be taken to Southborough recycling center. Paper needs to be clean; avoid mixing in drinking cups or food. Please don’t include paper towels, paper plates, or tissues. Even junk mail can be recycled.
What does “close the loop”mean?
It means buy items that are partially or fully made from recycled material. Paper is so easy to recycle that it’s also easy to find recycled paper products. Look for the green arrows recycling symbol the next time you buy paper or envelopes. When you’re in the grocery store, notice how many boxes have green arrows. When you buy these items made from recycled material that you and your neighbor recycled you are “closing the loop”
What is the Bottle Bill?
Massachusetts is one of 11 states to pass a Bottle Bill, a law requiring that soft drinks and beer are sold in containers with a deposit charged. The state figures (correctly!) there will be less littering of cans and bottles if they are worth money when returned. The law has been in place for 20 years and has helped reduce the amount of litter by about 1/3.
In Southborough, you may bring your returnable bottles and cans to the cage at the end of the Recycle Center. Each month a different local nonprofit group cleans out the area and benefits from the proceeds.
Many people have suggested the original bottle bill works so well we should expand it to include deposits on more beverages, such as juice and water
What is Global Warming all about?
Global warming, sometimes referred to as the "Greenhouse effect", results from the dissemination of various gases into the atmosphere. These include, methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and certain chemical compounds, and even water vapor. The atmosphere and greenhouse gases act as an insulating blanket which holds in the heat provided by the sun. This prevents the earth's average temperature from sinking. However, there must be a balance. Excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can raise global temperature to a point where many unwanted and detrimental effects can occur. A recently released study on the Arctic, involving 300 scientists, confirms earlier evidence that temperature increases in some northern regions are now exceeding by tenfold the average increases experienced by the Earth in the past one hundred years.
How does recycling diminish the effects of Global Warming?
Recycling and manufacturing from recycled materials results in saving our depleting resources and uses less energy. Using less energy results in the reduction of greenhouse gases generated from fossil fuel burning power plants and from trash burning incinerators. Also, the abundance of inefficient, gas-hungry vehicles contribute alarming amounts of greenhouse gases.
Along with recycling and conservation, the use of renewable power sources such as wind and solar power plus the design of fuel efficient vehicles can protect the planet and provide a more healthy environment.
How can I reduce the amount of junk mail I receive?
First, you can have your name removed from most national mailing lists by contacting the Direct Marketing Association at the address below:
You can also contact companies that send you junk mail and ask to be removed from their mailing lists.
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