MassToss

North Central Regional Solid Waste Cooperative
Municipal Recycling and Waste Reduction

Ashby: Brendan McNeal
Athol: Michael Mallett, Dick Kilhart
Ayer: Dan Van Schalkwyk
Devens (Mass Development): Shane Melone
Groton: Tom Delaney
Harvard: Tim Kilhart
Littleton: Steven Whitten
Lunenburg: Heather Lemieux, Bill Bernard
Petersham: Fifi Scoufopoulos
Phillipston: Ruth French
Royalston: Philip Leger
Director: Sarah Vular 

Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Devens (Mass Development), Groton, Harvard, Littleton, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston

MassToss Meeting 

March 5th, 2024

ZOOM Meeting

AGENDA

Welcome

Approve minutes from prior meeting

Review FY24 Plans

Opportunities and Resources

Adjourn

Shared from Devens HHW website:

Devens Household Hazardous Waste

Location: 9 Cook St. (rear), Devens, MA

Hours: Open March through December, 9 am to 1 pm, first Wednesday and following Saturday

Website: www.DevensHHW.com

Contact info: email info@DevensHHW.com or call 978-501-3943

This regional service makes it easier for residents of member communities to properly manage toxic waste. If your town is not listed contact Devens HHW to find out how your town can be a member too!  

Current list of towns: Ashby-Ayer-Bolton-Clinton-Devens-Groton-Harvard-Lancaster-Littleton-Lunenburg-Pepperell-Shirley-Stow-Townsend  

Center is also available to member town businesses that do not exceed DEP’s threshold for Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQGs) and generate less than 220 pounds (approximately 27 gallons) of ignitable, corrosive, reactive, toxic, or hazardous waste or waste oil per month and no acutely hazardous waste. Businesses are required to pre-register via email or phone. Business disposal fees will be based on the materials being managed.

More details including what materials the facility does and doesn’t accept are listed on the Collection Center website.

We thank the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for grant funding that helped establish this facility.

Other Permanent Hazardous Waste Recycling Locations

There are a couple facilities in the area that resident may bring common household hazardous waste items for disposal. Please check the following locations for collection dates, times, and fees:

• Lexington, 60 Hartwell Ave. Lexington MA
  Tel: 978-683-1002
  Website: http://www.lexingtonma.gov/dpw/hhhwfacility.cfm

• Clean Harbors, 1 Hill Ave. Braintree MA
  Tel: 781-380-7177

For more information about household hazardous waste visit U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.gov/garbage/hhw.htm and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection http://www.mass.gov/dep/toxics/hazmatma.htm

Clothing and textile products amount to 6% of all material going into U.S. landfills and incinerators…that’s 230,000 tons annually in Massachusetts alone!

Textile reuse and recycling has the second highest potential environmental impact on reducing greenhouse gases compared to other recyclables.

95% of all used clothing, footwear, and other textile products can be reused or recycled, yet only 15% of reusable textiles are recovered from the waste stream.

Because we throw away so many valuable textiles in the trash, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has adopted a new rule to promote more repurposing and recovery. As of November 1, 2022, MA residents and businesses can no longer throw clothing and textiles in the trash. For more info google “MassDEP Textiles Waste Ban.” This means that residents will need to bag up their unwanted clothing, towels and sheets and bring them to a textile drop off site or have them collected curbside.

Textiles are defined in the waste ban as “clothing, footwear, bedding, towels, curtains, fabric, and similar products, except for textiles contaminated with mold, bodily fluids, insects, oil, or hazardous substances.”

To retain their value and avoid mildew contamination, all donations must be clean and dry. Even textiles that are worn, torn, and stained have value (really!).

About 45% of donated textiles are reused and sold as secondhand apparel, either in the U.S. or abroad. Another 30% is converted into industrial wiping cloths, and 20% is remanufactured into products like carpet padding, insulation, or sound-proofing material. The final 5% is thrown away because it is wet/mildewed, or otherwise unsuitable for reuse.

Many municipal transfer stations host textile drop boxes. If you need help finding a textile donation location, visit your municipality’s website or visit MassDEP’s Beyond the Bin directory. RecyclingWorksMA also offers a Find-a-Recycler tool to help Massachusetts businesses locate textile recyclers.

The next time you are considering the purchase of a new item of clothing, consider visiting local or online secondhand clothing stores first!

Textile information provided by RecycleSmartMA Textiles Info

For detailed information on mercury: MassDEP Mercury Information

Mercury - Covanta Energy reminds us that some common items contain mercury and should be handled carefully such as glass thermometers, old thermostats, and compact fluorescent bulbs and tubes.

• Never throw items containing mercury in the trash or recycling bin.

• Never pour mercury down the drain.

• Store in a safe place, such as an unbreakable plastic container. If you break something with mercury in it in call 1-866-9MERCURY 1-866-963-7287. (Leave a message and they'll call you back in 24 hours)

Mercury is toxic and should not be thrown out in the trash. This element is a silvery metal liquid that is commonly used in thermometers and thermostats. Mercury is not hazardous to humans when it is in a sealed device. The danger to health and the environment arises when mercury-containing articles are broken and discarded in the trash. Mercury produces an odorless gas when exposed to the air. Breathing that gas may be harmful. Mercury can cause neurological damage and is harmful to the kidneys and liver. The airborne mercury is deposited on lakes and streams with rain and snow. Fish eat smaller organisms that eat the mercury and it ultimately builds up in the fish. The mercury is then transferred to humans that eat the contaminated fish. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued a fish consumption advisory for many rivers and lakes throughout the state. For more on fish advisories for this region of the state, please go to http://db.state.ma.us/dph/fishadvisory/.

Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program

Mercury thermometers are still commonly found in many medicine cabinets. If a mercury thermometer breaks, it can threaten our health and the environment. For example, the mercury from one fever thermometer can contaminate all of the fish in a 20-acre lake. When a mercury thermometer is broken, the mercury forms a vapor that is easily inhaled. Symptoms of acute exposure to mercury can include numbness around the mouth, tunnel vision, and tingling toes and fingers. Prolonged, high level exposure can cause neurological and kidney damage, vision problems, and behavioral abnormalities.* These dangers are increased for younger children and pregnant women.

Exposure to mercury vapor from broken thermometers is preventable by using a safe alternative, such as a digital thermometer. The Cooperative will exchange your mercury fever thermometer for a safer digital one for free at most Hazardous Waste Collections. Simply bring the mercury thermometer in its original case or in a sealed plastic bag to the next collection and receive a new digital thermometer in return. Supplies are limited, so we must limit the exchange to one per household. Please look under "Hazardous Waste Collection" button on the left. The Groton Transfer Station is also conducting an exchange program for Groton residents. Please contact the Groton Board of Health at 448-1120 for details.

*Source: US Food and Drug Administration, January 2001

The most common items found in a home that may contain mercury are:

• Fluorescent Light Bulbs

• Fever Thermometers

• Heating and Cooling Thermostats

• Silent Light Switches

• Furnace or Boiler Controls

Mercury Spill Information

If you accidentally spill mercury there are certain things you must do to protect yourself and others:

1. Ventilate the area. Open a window or outside door.

2. Evacuate the spill area for 10 minutes.

3. Do NOT use a vacuum or broom to clean up the spill. Use two index cards or other stiff paper to push the mercury together into a ball.

4. Carefully, scoop up the mercury onto one of the index cards or paper. Put it all, including the index cards/paper, into a plastic bag and seal. If possible, place the sealed plastic bag into a glass or plastic jar with a screw-on lid.

5. Call the District for directions on where and when to dispose of the mercury.

Mercury Disposal Information

Residents are encouraged to bring any articles that contain mercury to one of the Hazardous Waste collections. Items such as fluorescent light bulbs, mercury fever thermometers and thermostats can be dropped off at the special collections and will be properly shipped and recycled. 

Thank you to the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District for use of their information.