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Happy 2019 Recycle Smart Partners!

We know this past year was a tough one in the recycling world. Yet we are optimistic for what 2019 brings as we ring in the New Year over 150 partners strong! To see a list of Recycle Smart Partners, check out the partner page on our website.

Our goal is to have 200 Recycle Smart partners signed up by March 1st. Help us by sharing this newsletter with three organizations you work with on recycling related issues. Working together, we can improve recycling here in Massachusetts.

Recycle Smart Resolutions for 2019

This year the Recycle Smart team at MassDEP resolves to continue helping Bay Staters – who already are among the country’s most prolific recyclers – recycle even better.  The good news? We are already well on our way! Since launching Recycle Smart MA in August 2018, we’ve had 10,773 unique visitors use the Recyclopedia search engine to find out how to properly recycle or dispose of over 47,000 items.  None of this would be possible without you.  

Here are a few things you can resolve to do (or encourage the community you work with to resolve to do) in 2019 to make it a cleaner, greener year for everyone in Massachusetts:
  • Keep plastic bags out of your recycling bin. Instead, take them and other clean plastic wrap to the supermarket the next time you go shopping. Most grocery stores have collection kiosks for these items.
  • Rinse glass, plastic, and metal containers – and remove leftover slices and cheese-covered liners from pizza boxes – so recycling workers won’t need to sort through food wastes or deal with the critters they attract.
  • Choose to reuse. Have your morning coffee in a mug or tumbler instead of a foam or paper cup, and carry a refillable water bottle instead of buying bottled water by the case. Americans today recycle only one of every six plastic bottles they buy.
Each one of these steps alone may require a little effort, but together they can make a big difference for our environment.  

Partner Spotlight: Keep Massachusetts Beautiful

Looking for inspiration on how to incorporate Recycle Smart into your website? Check out Keep Massachusetts Beautiful’s new webpage. We love the way they include top recycling questions and links to key resources! While you are at it- don’t miss KMB’s new YouTube video featuring an interview with MassRecycle’s president, Gretchen Carey discussing the RecyclesmartMA.org website and Recyclopedia tool.

Featured Social Media Post

One of our most popular posts- this video of ferrets playing in packing peanuts was viewed over 36K times! Feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to help spread the word that packing peanuts don’t belong in the recycling bin (but they can be reused!)

Time’s up for your 2018 calendar, but it can live on through recycling and reuse! Calendars are recyclable, even with the spiral binding. https://bit.ly/2QUZDu4

Check out (and share) this quick social video reminder to recycle your 2018 calendars.

Cheers to 2019- A year of cleaner recycling in Massachusetts!

The Recycle Smart Team at MassDEP