Tip #28: What happens if there are too many recyclable materials in a load of trash?
If there are too many recyclable materials in a load of municipal waste (trash), the location that takes the waste can reject the load. The load would either be returned to the town or the town could choose to pay to have someone sort out the recyclable material.
A load can be rejected if it has:
- more than 10% of any one of the following: paper (includes corrugated cardboard), containers (includes glass, plastic, or metal), leaves and yard waste, or
- more than 20% of construction materials (asphalt pavement, brick, concrete, metal, wood, and/or clean gypsum wallboard), or
- more than 30% of a cumulative total of paper, containers, leaves and yard waste, and construction materials.
A single occurrence of a white good (appliance), lead acid battery, whole tire, or cathode ray tube (CRT) will cause the load to be rejected.
This recycling tip is brought to you by the Transfer Station Committee.
Editor’s Note: To gain entry to Harvard’s Transfer Station and empty trash, residents must purchase an $80 sticker. The sticker entitles its holder to dispose of recyclable glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and books at no charge. But residents must purchase specially marked bags to dispose of nonrecyclable materials. These are available at Westward Orchards, the Harvard General Store, Harvard Outdoor Power Equipment, Bolton Orchards in Bolton, and Shop ’n Save in Ayer. The Press publishes these weekly tips to help readers reduce the volume of their trash, while increasing the volume they recycle.
