Recycling – 6 Rs of Waste Management

Impact

Cost

Free

Practicing the 6Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Rot, Recycle) of waste management is a great way to begin thinking consciously about what you consume and what happens to the products you buy. Recycling should be the last option to consider in disposing of your unwanted items.

Here are some benefits of the 6Rs of waste management:

Reduces waste sent to landfills and incinerators
Conserves natural resources
Saves money
Creates jobs
Improves air and water quality
Protects wildlife
Creates a healthier environment for everyone

Steps to Take

The 6Rs

Before you throw anything away think about what can be done with it.

Refuse: The first step is to refuse anything you don’t really need. This means buying less stuff, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, and refusing single-use items like straws and utensils. Be aware of impulse buying. Know that retailers often arrange items in stores to attract impulse buying. Go shopping with a list.
Reduce: Reduce the amount of waste you produce by buying less stuff, by using less energy and water, and by producing less trash.
Reuse: Reuse items whenever possible. This means bringing your own water bottle, coffee mug, utensils, and lunchbox.
Repurpose: Repurpose items that you can’t reuse by finding new ways to use them, such as turning old clothes into cleaning rags (or even quilts), refinishing old furniture, and making cloth bags out of old hand towels.
Rot: Rot organic waste by putting it in a compost bin or taking it to a composting center. (See Compost at Home or With a Service Action on this site.)
Recycle: Recycle items that can’t be reused, repurposed, or rotted. This includes paper, plastic, metal, and glass. You can also recycle items like batteries, electronics, clothing, and furniture. (You may need to research where these can be recycled.) Recycling helps to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills and incinerators.

Deep Dive

What happens to items I put out for recycling?

Massachusetts government has a video that shows what happens to items that are put in your recycling bin. You can watch it here: Recycling Video Remember that items that cannot be recycled are sorted by hand. If they are missed, they can contaminate the recycling effort, damage machines and/or workers.

What can I recycle?

Started by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, RecycleSmart is an initiative that helps residents understand what can and cannot be recycled. See the table below.

Every Massachusetts town and city with curbside collection or a drop-off center accepts the following items for recycling, with the same restrictions:

Smart Recycling Guide

If you’re not sure whether something belongs in your bin, search the Recyclopedia, a search function on the site, or visit: RecycleSmartMA.org

Can I recycle building materials?

A number of charities and non-profit organizations accept donations of old cabinets, counters, doors, windows, and other building materials that you may no longer need but can still be used.

Check the MassDEP Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory for nearby drop-off locations. Just type in the item you want to donate and click on Search for a listing and map.

Where can I recycle household goods, textiles or other items?

Household Goods of Massachusetts, in Acton, is a good place to take household furniture, linens, dishes, cookware, etc. Visit their website for times and a specific list of items they accept. https://www.householdgoods.org/

Stow now has a textile recycling bin outside the community center. There is a recycling bin for shoes at Sudbury Plaza, as well as a bin for clothes. The Red Cross has a clothing bin at Verrills’ farm, and there is a bin for recycling books on the premises of Household Goods in Acton.

To learn about other items that can or cannot be recycled, visit Beyond the Bin from the RecycleSmart website. https://recyclesmartma.org/beyond-the-bin-search/.

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