An earlier version of our Holiday newsletter stated there was no yard waste pickup in December. Initially canceled, December's curbside yard waste pickup has been reinstated for December 16-20.

Please place yard waste on the curb in paper bags or barrels by 7am on your regular trash pickup day. Report missed pickups within 24 hours on SeeClickFix.

Holiday Newsletter

2024

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Holiday R,R&R; E-Waste; Textiles; Styrofoam; Calendar; Repair Cafe; Plastics Treaty; What We're Reading, Watching & Listening To

Holiday R, R & R

Celebrate Sustainably,

in Style!

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Wrapping paper can't be recycled. Consider reusable or paper bags, pillow cases, scarves, newsprint, or recyclable Kraft paper -- and save your gift wrap for reuse! You can also purchase gift wrap made from recycled paper.

Read Which Is Worse: Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags?

Need a Christmas tree? Get a real, organically grown tree or find a pre-loved fake. See Real vs. Fake: Which Tree Is Better for the Environment?

Greeting cards: Foil, glitter, or plastic make cards impossible to recycle or compost. Buy cards made from recycled paper, trim used cards for gift tags, and save unused cards for our spring Book Swap!

Ornaments & Decorations: Thrift, buy eco-friendly products, or have fun making your own. Thrifty tips from Goodwill: Sustainable Holiday Decor: Transform Your Home for the Holidays with Thrifted Treasures

Pine cone photo above by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

E-Waste

E-Waste Recycling Event

December 21

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Salem High School, 77 Willson Street

Many items are FREE, including computer towers, laptops, tablets, cellphones, small appliances, and household electronics including phones, printers, fax machines, and CD players.

Old TVs, monitors, microwaves, dehumidifiers, ACs, and vacuum cleaners will be recycled for $20 cash or check, per unit. For very large items

-- refrigerators, exercise equipment, battery-powered lawn equipment, free-standing electronic devices (fireplaces, heaters, air hockey tables) -- you'll need $40 cash or check, per unit.

Item in good working condition? Consider donating it through a local Buy Nothing or other swap group.

Questions? Contact Alisa Cherkasova at acherkasova@salem.com.

Textile Event Recap

Unloading textiles from the trunk of a car at our November event.

Volunteers helped 200+ community members dispose of unwanted textiles responsibly.

SalemRecycles was pleased to partner with Helpsy again at November's Textile Recycling Drive, held this year at the Universal Steel Lot at 297 Bridge Street in Salem. See this Helpsy video illustrating how vital it is to embrace textile recycling!

We look forward to seeing you at next year's event!

Holiday Tip

Save That Styrofoam Packaging!

As your holiday shipments arrive, save any rigid Styrofoam packaging (but not Styrofoam peanuts) for our upcoming collection!

January 11, 2025

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Beverly High School

100 Sohier Road, Beverly

FREE

Beverly / Salem

Styrofoam Collection Day

Details at greensalem.com

December Calendar

Saturday and Sunday, December 14 & 15, the Transfer Station on Swampscott Road will be open to residents who'd like to drop off yard waste and flattened cardboard.

Yard waste pickup December 16-20 on your trash pickup day
Transfer Station (12 Swampscott Road) open December 14 & 15 for yard waste drop-off
Christmas tree pickup Dec 30 - Jan 4 on your trash pickup day, with pickup shifted one day later Jan 1 - 3

Before / After

A SalemRecycles volunteer & a happy client at a recent Repair Cafe.

The Recycling Committee will begin scheduling appointments for the next Repair Cafe, set for February 8, in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on our newsletters and Facebook page! And if you have skills in electronics repair, sewing, or knife sharpening, or if you have another mending talent to share, please email SalemRecycles@gmail.com to volunteer as a fixer.

Plastics Treaty Delay

ICN-5, held in South Korea, was meant to be the final negotiation session to create an internationally binding treaty on plastic pollution. No treaty was delivered.

For details, listen to this discussion on Public Radio's Living on Earth.

What We're Reading, Watching & Listening To

What We're Reading, Watching &

Listening To

What We're Reading:

Sustainable Holidays by Autumn Marsh and Soham Arekar, Seaside Sustainability, December 2024 newsletter
Gift Guide, Center for Biological Diversity
12 Days of Underconsumption, one5c

What We're Watching:

26 Eco Friendly Natural Christmas Decor Ideas to DIY in 2024, Sustainability Success

What We're Listening To:

$250 Billion Yearly Economic Costs from Plastics, Living on Earth, December 6, 2024

SalemRecycles' mission is to reduce trash tonnage in the City of Salem by increasing recycling, diverting reusable items, and motivating city stakeholders through education and information.

Happy Holidays!

SalemRecycles

www.greensalem.com