Recycle Computers and Peripherals for FREE at Goodwill Donation Centers

Goodwill and Dell Reconnect:  FREE Computer & Peripherals Recycling

 

Do you have old computer equipment sitting around the house, in the attic, down in the cellar or out in the garage---waiting to be recycled?  Take all of it to a Goodwill Donation Center.  Thanks to a partnership they have with Dell, Goodwill and Dell recycle it all for FREE.  Here is what they take:

• Monitors
• Scanners
• Mice
• Printers
• Keyboards
• Laptop Batteries
• Ink/Toner Cartridges
• Computers**
• Hard Drives**
• Speakers
• Cords & Cables

**Residents are advised to remove all personal data from their hard drives before donating a computer or hard drives. Residents are further advised to wipe their drive before Donation - a number of programs are available online. Neither Goodwill nor Dell are liable for data removal or protection.

The closest Goodwill Donation Center to Lynn is in Swampscott, next to Stop & Shop on the Loring Ave side and it is open 7 days a week, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.   There's also one in Peabody at 19 Howley Street. Follow the link for all the Goodwill Donation Centers in the greater Boston area.

 Goodwill does not take T.V.s.  
 

Where To Take Recycling If You Don't Want To Wait For The Truck

Take Recycling (It's Free) To Caraustar/North Shore Recycled Fibers in Salem, MA

We have been hearing that some residents have overflowing recycling carts due to the holidays, and those on a Green Week still have another week until the recycling truck will be by to empty their carts.  For those of you who would like to get rid of your recycling right away, you can take it to Caraustar/North Shore Recycled Fibers at 53 Jefferson Avenue, Salem, MA  01970. 800-282-0097 or 978-744-4330.   

Their regular hours are:

Monday-Friday:  7-3

Caraustar/North Shore Recycled Fibers is a one stop shop for recycling.  They handle all grades of paper, plastic, metal and offer FREE document destruction.  Note that paper should be separated out from the rest of the recycling, and that you will put cardboard and newsprint into different "Bins" at this facility, so you should have them separated out from the other recyclables.

 And remember, this is always an option year-round for whenever you have a large amount of recyclables and you want to dispose of them sooner.

Recycling Right on Christmas - Opening Gifts

To make sure recycling is done right on Christmas while you are opening gifts, you need a simple plan.  You should have one bag for trash, a box or bin for recycling to take out to the cart later.  If you save ribbons and boxes, you should have a third bag or box for saving stuff.  Have these set up right there so you don't have to figure it out later.


Next, see the list below to know where to put wrapping and packaging:

Wrapping paper - Recyclable if it’s just paper. But if it’s covered with sparkles, or is made of metallic foil or cellophane, put it in the trash, or save it and use it again. 

Ribbons and bows - Non-recyclable. Reuse next year, or throw in the trash. A big problem with ribbon is not just what it’s made of, but its actual physical structure — stringy stuff gets wrapped up in the recycling machinery and jams it.  If you get some fabric ribbon, save it, iron and reuse next year.

Tape -Non-recyclable. Too much packaging tape and scotch tape clogs recycling equipment. Throw it in the trash.  Throw wrapping paper with lots of tape on it in the trash—or rip if off the part of the paper with the tape and put it in the trash.

Cardboard boxes Recyclable. Cardboard tubes and tissue paper should also be put in the recycle cart.

Bubble Wrap - Non-recyclable because it’s made of multiple plastics. Either reuse it or put it in the trash.

Polystyrene - Styrofoam Non-recyclable, reuse or put it in the trash. You get a lot of this in solid white chunks that hold electronic components and other things safely in place.

Packing peanuts - Non-recyclable. Reuse or put in the trash and make sure you bag it up so it doesn’t fly out during trash pickup. It can end up in storm drains and be ingested by wildlife.

Cellophane, plastic wrap - Reuse or trash, or take to the grocery store with your plastic bag recycling.

Hard plastic “Clamshell” packaging - Non-recyclable.  This is that plastic that is almost impossible to open without a box cutter. 

 

This is an example of paper that's recyclable, but reuse the string or throw it out. 

 Follow this link to the Elli.com blog for free wrapping paper ideas.

Foil paper is not recyclable--put it in the trash or reuse it.

Cellophane is not recyclable in the cart

You can put cellophane and other plastic wrap in with your plastic supermarket bags and recycle it all at the supermarket.

Have a Merry Christmas and happy holidays for all your celebrations-- and make the world a better place at the same time by recycling more and trashing less.

Three Simple Recycling Rules for your Recycling Cart

Confused about what you can recycle? Me too, it turns out.

What's in Your Recycle Cart?  It should be Recycle Often Recycle Right

The KISS principle applies here--KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. ...and Waste Management has created a campaign called Recycle Often Recycle Right  to help all of us put the right stuff in our recycle carts.  We will be sharing it with you and I hope you can share it with all your friends and neighbors who have curbside pickup in Lynn.  This weblink  http://recycleoftenrecycleright.com/ has so many resources on the campaign and you are free to download them and use them.  Great, huh!

Watch the Video

Got a Dumpster? Demand Recycling from the Dumpster Provider.

December 3, Day 3 - Condos and Apartment Buildings

I have seen on this blog and the facebook page quite a few requests that the City provide curbside recycling pick-up and recycling carts to condos and apartment building dwellers that have dumpster service.  These buildings do not receive curbside collection services, but instead contract with a trash hauling company that provides a dumpster.  All buildings, condos, and businesses with dumpster service should be getting recycling pick-up from the company that provides the dumpster.  In fact, recycling is mandatory for all those with dumpster service because all "trash haulers", the folks that provide the dumpsters, should be providing recycling pick-up and abiding by the state of Massachusetts Mandatory Waste Bans which include recyclables.  Sadly, some waste haulers don't provide the service to their dumpster clients and instead take these materials to the incinerators and landfills--illegally.  The state does random inspections of haulers at waste disposal sites and if they are found to have a large quantity of recyclables they are fined, and sometimes so are the properties from where the trash originated.

My advice to the condo dwellers is to meet with your condo association and explain the rules.  Apartment dwellers should talk to the landlord/building owner/property manager and explain the rules.  Next the representatives of the Condo Association or the Property Manager should meet with the dumpster provider to request that they either provide another dumpster for recycling or provide recycling carts.  You may also have to keep watch that the hauler is really hauling the recyclables separately and not just dumping them with the trash.  If you have problems with the hauler you can either contract with a new hauler or report the hauler to the Department of Environmental Protection.  Click on the links to learn more.

Download the document "Setting Up a Multi-Family or Apartment Building Recycling Program: A Seven-Step Guide" from the link:

www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dep/recycle/7stepmf.doc

  

Download the Fact Sheet "Property Managers & the Waste Bans:What You Need to Know"

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/sz/wbpropmg.pdf

Snow Cones Abound

It's December 2, Day 2 with the new Trash and Recycling Collection System.  I have lots of pics of residents doing the right thing with their trash and recycling, and others, not so much.  I will post a gallery of  pics on Friday of the good, but for now I want to use the time for education with a few photos to demonstrate what I am talking about.

A "snow cone" is Waste Management's lingo for a trash bin over-filled.  Here is a photo of a snow cone.   They definitely need an overflow bag.  I also observed lots of recyclables in the bag.

This is a classic snow cone.

Here is how it should have looked:

Properly placed overflow bag

I saw many recycling carts filled with trash like the photo below shows.

trash in recycling cart

In this case the resident receives a warning--the green sticker below.  When they call D.P.W. to say that their trash was not picked up, D.P.W. tells them to put the trash in the correct cart, and in an overflow bag if needed.  Then D.P.W. asks Waste Management to go back to the house.

The Warning

Many green stickers have graced the carts of Lynn residents in the past two days.  Below, a Waste Management worker is stickering a barrel.

No green, No go

  
That's all for today.

Countdown--Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday--Monday, Dec 1 and the New Trash and Recycling System

Welcome to the new blog Trash Talkin' Lynn!  Please come here often to see what is new, to ask questions and for the latest on trash and recycling in Lynn.

I've been  keeping my ear to the ground and listening to what people think about the new green trash and recycling carts standing in almost everyone's yard like sentries waiting to be pressed in to service on December 1, 2014.

Most people like the new carts and think that they will help keep the neighborhoods clean and orderly.  Others have questions and aren't quite sure how everything is going to work. Here are some of the questions that the D.P.W. has fielded in the last week.

Why can't I use plastic bags in the RECYCLING Cart, Aren't they recyclable?
Yes, plastic bags are recyclable but when you put them in the recycling they go to the recycling processing plant and create all kinds of problems by getting caught in the machinery.  What can you do with all the plastic bags, plastic wrap and film, dry cleaning plastic covering etc. that comes into your life on a daily basis?  You have a few choices.  You can recycle it by taking it to your super market and putting the plastic bags in the plastic bag recycling bin or you can re-use them or you can throw them away in your trash cart.

Do I put my garbage directly in the TRASH cart, without a trash bag? 
No!  We want you to put your garbage in plastic bags and then put the garbage in the trash cart.  Never throw garbage in the trash cart without first putting it in a plastic bag.   Memorize this rule:  Plastic bags go in the trash cart and not in the recycling.

Do I have to wash all the recycling before putting it in the RECYCLE CART?
It is important to keep the recycling clean because the recycling processing plant bundles up the different materials and then sells it to companies that make new products with it.  If it is too dirty it is said to be CONTAMINATED and they won't be able to sell it.  It's also important to keep it clean so you don't attract raccoons, skunks, squirrels and RATS to your recycling cart.   At the very least, rinse out the plastic food containers and don't put any greasy pizza box bottoms in there.

I need more carts because I don't think that my trash and recycling are going to fit in just one 64 gallon trash cart and one 96 gallon recycle cart.
We think the two carts are enough and Waste Management has experience in other communities with the carts and they are enough for most families in those communities.  You should be able to recycle 80% of the waste that you generate.   The idea behind the system is that you "recycle more and trash less".  You should be filling the Recycle Cart, and if it is full, then be sure you are flattening all the containers and boxes--and breaking down all the cardboard.

What if I recycle as much as I can and I still have too much trash and can't close my trash cart?
First, figure out if there is more that you can be doing.  For example, if you have a garbage disposal you can put most of your food waste down the disposal (not bones).   This will help to keep animals away from your carts.  If you have a lot of trash only some of the time, like after Thanksgiving and other holidays, you can buy "purple" over-flow bags.  They come in packages of five (5) and the cost $15.  You can fill those and put them on top of your trash cart.  Click on the link or the tab above to see a list of stores that sell the overflow bags.  

If you have too much trash and recycling every week, then you can rent another set of carts for $132 per year from Waste Management.  If you just want one extra recycling cart, it will cost $46 per year.  If you want only an extra trash cart, it will still cost $132, the cost of a set, even if you don't want the recycle cart.   This is because the INCENTIVE is to RECYCLE MORE AND TRASH LESS.       

That's it for now.  I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving.