Spring Cleaning: Recycle Smart Style Overwhelmed by your spring decluttering project? You are not alone.American homes are filled with more than 300,000 items,[1] and this only includes visible objects. It does not include everything tucked into dresser drawers and cabinets or stored away in boxes — and tuck away and store we do! House sizes have...Read More

It’s in the bag… Do you remember life before plastic grocery bags? When “produce bags” meant small brown paper bags and we wrapped sandwiches in waxed paper bags?  For most of us, these are distant memories, if that.  Plastic grocery bags first hit U.S. supermarkets in 1979 after taking European markets by storm in the 1960s. Since...Read More

As we celebrate women in waste (and recycling!), The Recycle Smart MA team is thrilled to share this inspiring article written by Sofie Green, Maureen Hennessy, and Bethiah Peirce. These three young women are all 8th graders in Medford and part of the Medford Girl Scout Troop 68137. Girl Scouts Pledge to Recycle Smart By...Read More

It’s Thyme to Talk Organics. Raise your hand if you know exactly what we mean when we talk about organics in the waste stream.   If you couldn’t raise your hand, don’t worry.  The term “organics” can be confusing and vague.  Depending on where you are, you might hear “leaf and yard waste” referred to as...Read More

Can you feel the love? There’s a lot to love about aluminum cans, and not just because they contain some of our favorite beverages. The pandemic spiked a huge demand for aluminum cans as Americans bought record amounts of canned beverages to consume at home while local bars and restaurants were forced to close their doors. In...Read More

2020: Is it over yet? 2020. What a year. A global pandemic, a stock market crash, Black Lives Matter protests, murder hornets, wildfires along the West Coast and in Australia, Space-Ex launched astronauts into space, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the royal family – what’s next? With all the mind-boggling news headlines, the Recycle Smart Team figured...Read More

What's in your closet? Have you ever looked in your closet and decided you have NOTHING to wear? Turns out, you are not alone. According to a 2018 survey done by Nordstrom Trunk Club, 61% of the 2,000 Americans they surveyed experience “wardrobe panic” despite having a closet full of clothes. The average person has 53...Read More

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-palooza! In honor of the 23rd  anniversary of America Recycles Day on November 15 (and a do-over for Earth Day), the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has compiled a month of informative programming we’re calling Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-palooza!  Because why celebrate just one day in November, when you can celebrate for the entire month?    RRRecycle-palooza will feature useful information to get you and your community...Read More

Let's Talk about Plastic: Are My Take-Out Containers All Trash? Dear Wicked Smart Recycler, I just found out black plastic isn’t recyclable and my go-to restaurant uses black plastic take-out containers. I want to support local businesses during this critical time. Help! What do I do? Sincerely, Eco-conscious Foodie Dear Eco-conscious Foodie,First off, kudos to you. It’s wonderful...Read More

No Matter How You Slice It : American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA): paperrecycles.orgThe paper recycling mill called… they want your pizza boxes.  Ok, maybe you haven’t received the call personally (yet) but the U.S. box manufacturing industry wants Americans to know that their pizza boxes, including the grease and stuck-on cheese, are a valuable feedstock...Read More