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In the small town of Sherborn, a shipment of co-mingled recyclables now costs the town 30 percent more than simply hauling it away as trash. It’s a financial reality that has Town Manager David Williams concerned.
“We don’t want to do that. We care about the environment, but we need help,” Williams said. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Martin Suuberg said Tuesday that Sherborn’s story, so far, is an anomaly in Massachusetts, but one that should be cause for concern.
Suuberg briefed local officials on his department’s efforts to improve consumer education around recycling as China’s new policy of refusing to accept dirty American recyclables has disrupted the market and driven up costs.
“That’s sort of the situation we’re most worried about,” Suuberg told the Local Government Advisory Commission. “We’re not yet seeing that all across the state.”
While Suuberg offered to work with Sherborn to try to identify grants or new practices that could lower its recycling costs, he briefed other local leaders on DEP’s new Recycle Smart MA program, which includes a new website that can help consumers better understand what types of materials can be recycled and what, instead, should be thrown in the trash.
Even Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash got an education.
“Does the pizza box go in or out? It’s in if the pizza’s not in there,” Suuberg offered as an example of how the website can be used.
“What if the box is greasy?” Ash asked. Suuberg told him that it’s still Ok as long as it’s not completely soaked with grease.
“Wow,” Ash mouthed.
