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November 2023 Newsletter
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America Recycles Day; Textile and TerraCycle Drive; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza; November Collection Calendar; Cardboard Recycling; Annual Recycling Audit; What We're Reading & Listening To | |
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. | |
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November 15 is America Recycles Day!
America Recycles Day – an initiative also known as National Recycling Day, promotes and celebrates recycling while reminding us to protect our natural resources year-round.
This year, the day's focus is on improving recycling results by debunking recycling myths and reviewing best practices.
Ready to test your recycling knowledge? Take Keep America Beautiful’s Recycling Reality Check Quiz
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Textiles & TerraCycle Drive | |
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Reminder!
Riley Plaza
Saturday, November 18
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Drop off clean, odor-free TEXTILES:
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Clothing – new, old, moth-eaten, stained, torn
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Sneakers, shoes, boots, slippers -- pairs or singles
- Belts, ties, purses
- Stuffed animals
- Comforters, sheets, blankets
- Table linens & curtains
And bring these TerraCycle items!
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Swiffer pads – used, dried
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Razors – reusable and disposable razors, blades & cartridges and their plastic packaging
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Oral care – tooth brushes, toothbrush packaging, empty toothpaste tubes, mouthwash bottles, floss containers
- Deodorant containers & caps
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Rubbermaid – food storage containers, glass & plastic
- Brita products
Please stay in your vehicle and have items in your trunk, truck bed, or hatchback. For more information, call 978-619-5672.
To volunteer to help out at this event, please Register Here
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza! | |
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Join Recycle Smart MA the week of November 13 for a series of informative lunchtime webinars on
waste reduction.
Waste Reduction and Why It Matters
Tuesday, November 14 ｜12:00 – 1:00 PM
The Commonwealth’s landfills are scheduled to close by 2030, and
our waste combustors are nearing capacity. Tune in to the Palooza’s kickoff presentation to learn what’s being done, what more can be done, and how you can help. Register Here
Ask Me Anything About Recycling in MA
Wednesday, November 15 ｜12:00 – 1:00 PM
Tune in and ask away! Recycling experts will be on hand to answer
all of your burning recycling questions. Register Here
Reuse & Repair: Extend Your Wallet’s Power
While Reducing Your Environmental Impact
Thursday, November 16 ｜ 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Learn different ways to integrate reuse strategies into your life. Speakers will discuss the reuse of architectural fixtures
and household goods and how you can repair or refurbish durable items you already own. Register Here
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November Waste Management
Collection Calendar
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White Goods Collection: Friday, November 17. Please call Waste Management at 800-972-4545 to schedule a FREE pickup.
Holiday Delay: There will be a holiday delay for Thursday 11/23 and Friday 11/24 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday’s collection routes will run as normal. Thursday’s route will occur on Friday, 11/24 and Friday’s route will occur on Saturday, 11/25.
Yard Waste Curbside Pickup: The next yard waste collection will be during the week of 11/27 – 12/1. Please put out your yard waste by 7 AM on your typical trash & recycling collection day. Yard waste must be in paper bags or barrels. Do NOT place yard waste in your trash or recycle totes. To report a missed pickup, please contact WM directly OR report on SeeClickFix.
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Salem will offer free cardboard recycling for Salem residents and businesses at the Salem Transfer Station, 12 Swampscott Road, on Saturdays (7:00 AM to 3:00 PM) and Sundays (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) through Saturday, December 17, when the Transfer Station closes for the season. In the wintertime, Salem hopes to offer cardboard recycling at the site one weekend a month, on dates to be determined.
"With the closure of the only cardboard recycling facility in Salem recently, a privately operated business, we know that residents and businesses alike have been looking for options for recycling their cardboard," said Mayor Dominick Pangallo. "We encourage those who are able to collapse and add their cardboard to their recycling toter for curbside collection, but if you have excess cardboard or are not part of the City's curbside collection program, this new free service should hopefully be helpful to you."
Cardboard must be clean, dry, and flattened. If your cardboard boxes can be reused, please bring them to U-Haul Moving & Storage at 43 Jefferson Avenue, as they offer a “take a box, leave a box” reuse program.
While this is a temporary solution to help businesses and residents with excess cardboard recycling, Salem is continuing to look into long-term solutions for the community.
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City of Salem Annual Recycling Audit | |
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Each year, Waste Management conducts a recycling audit in Salem. For 11 days, WM staff set aside approximately 200 pounds a day of recyclables collected through the curbside program to review contamination levels.
Since 2020, Salem's contamination rate has remained under 10% – well below the national average, estimated to be about 17%. But we have seen a significant increase in contamination this year.
Salem Recycling Contamination Rates
2018: 18.2% 2021: 8.3%
2019: 14.8%. 2022: 8.1%
2020: 8.9% 2023: 9.2%
Contamination leads to additional sorting and processing and thus increases recycling costs.
To help reduce contamination, please remember to keep plastic film, food waste, scrap metal, and Styrofoam out of your recycling bin and to rinse food and beverage containers.
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What We're Reading & Listening To | |
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What We're Reading:
What We're Listening To:
Another Webinar to Join:
Sustainable Marblehead hosts "The (Almost) Zero Waste Holiday Webinar"
Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Hear author Melanie Mannarino discuss tips to reduce waste this holiday season without completely overhauling your life. Marblehead Health Dept. Director Andrew Petty will also answer questions about composting and recycling this holiday season. Webinar Registration - Zoom
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