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…

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…

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…

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…

No Matter How You Slice It : American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA): paperrecycles.org The 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…

Let’s talk about plastic (part 2)… Dear Wicked Smart Recycler, I get that you can only recycle plastic bottles, jugs, jars and tubs here in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, my favorite coffee comes in a non-recyclable plastic pouch. It’s #PlasticFreeJuly and I don’t know what to do – help! Sincerely, Struggling Coffee Addict ​Dear Struggling Coffee Addict, First off, kudos…

Let’s talk about plastic… Dear Wicked Smart Recycler, I recently watched a special about plastic recycling and now my head is spinning. I found out that all of the plastic that I’ve been recycling is either ending up in the ocean or going to developing countries where it is being burned or dumped. When I…

A Day in the Life at a Recycling Facility Meet Moe. Okay, his real name is Ed but “Ed Says No” just didn’t have the same ring to it. You may recognize Ed (er, Moe) from the Recycle Smart social channels reminding you what wacky items shouldn’t go in your recycling bin. Ed is the plant manager…

Happy Earth Day, Recyclers! It’s the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and boy, have we come a long way since the first one. Let’s take a quick trip back, shall we? The 1960s were a period of environmental awakening. With Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring highlighting the negative effects of pollution on public health, the spark to protect the…

Cooped up at Home? Tips to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Compost ​ 📷: @ecowithem Inspired by our friends at the City of Cambridge, the Recycle Smart Team wanted to share some tips for how to reduce waste while you are practicing social distancing. You may be getting less use out of your reusable coffee tumbler lately, but…