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Solid Waste Summer – Your June Waste Industry Update

by Aidan McLennan  •  June 9, 2022
June Newsletter

*We’ve put together the best waste industry news from June!*

Happy June, recycling friends! As we gear up for summer, we’re also thinking about how to help our ReCollect family meet a variety of new regulations that are taking effect, such as the MassDEP Waste Disposal Bans.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued its 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, which calls for a 30% statewide reduction of waste disposal over the next decade. Its long-term goal is to reduce waste disposal by 90% by 2050.

To help meet those goals, MassDEP now limits the disposal of organic waste — including food — from businesses and other institutions that dispose of more than one ton of these materials per week, while banning textiles and mattresses from disposal or transport for disposal in Massachusetts.

Like Massachusetts, as municipalities and organizations everywhere work to decrease their solid waste, more and more entities are recognizing the importance of recycling textiles — especially as the fast fashion industry booms. More than 100 billion garments are being produced annually, according to an article published by McKinsey & Company. McKinsey also notes that for every five garments that are produced, the equivalent of three pieces of clothing are taken to a landfill or are incinerated every year.

If you’re considering adding mattress and textile collections to your recycling repertoire, we can help. For instance, the Waste Wizard can be used to tell your community how to properly dispose of their mattresses, clothing items and other textiles, including drop-off sites for recycling or donation centers for reusing.

For bulky items such as mattresses, our Special Collection scheduling tool enables people to schedule pick-ups while lowering your call volumes and curbing illegal dumping.

As MassDEP says, waste bans on any item, including textiles and mattresses, not only boost recycling and support the recycling industry, but they also help us to save energy, conserve valuable resources, reduce emissions and decrease our reliance on incinerators and landfills, too.

 

Welcome to the ReCollect Family

We’d like to welcome three new members to the ReCollect family this month!

Tri-County Recycle Creston, B.C. Paso Robles Waste & Recycle

Check them out!

 

Recycled Humor

So bad, it just might be good.

Want to hear a joke about recycled paper?

Nevermind. It’s tearable.

Industry Updates

New York Department Announces Draft Regulations to Reduce Waste and More

State DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos recently proposed regulations to make significant changes concerning solid waste.

Read more

Paragon Textiles Gives Old Clothes a Second Life

In LA, CA, Paragon acquires clothing & ships them overseas to micro entrepreneurs who open small clothing shops.

Read more

$30K Tucson Taxpayers – Per Month

Some 29% of Tucson’s recycled materials are considered contaminated — which results in about $30,000 in charges every month.

Read more

Highlights from WasteExpo 2022

From labor shortages to sustainability, last month’s WasteExpo in Las Vegas covered it all.

Read more

Women of Waste Pro: Roxann Rodriguez

Joining Waste Pro in 2020 was the best decision Roxann Rodriguez made all year.

Read more

ReCollect eLearning

[Blog] Digitize your Waste Program

The #1 Digital Communication Tools for the Waste Industry.

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[Blog] 8 Ways To Be More Effective in Your Waste and Recycling Communications

Effective waste and recycling communications can be tough. But the good news is: help is available! Click here for 8 tips to help you succeed.

Read the Blog

Download Our Customized Fact Sheets

Feel like you’re always fighting contamination and trying to keep phone-call volumes in check? We hear you!

Download our fact sheet now and learn how to solve these issues and more through easy-to-manage digital communication tools.

Interested in learning more? Let’s talk!