NEEDHAM, Mass. — A payloader flattened a mountain of trash Tuesday at the Needham Recycling and Transfer Station. The garbage, destined for an incinerator, contained, for the last time, a few mattresses. Beginning November 1, the state’s latest solid waste bans went into effect -- covering mattresses, textiles and large amounts of food waste. These items can no longer be considered ‘garbage’ and, instead, must be recycled.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Matthew DeMarrais, Acting Superintendent at the Needham facility. “We need to limit the waste we’re sending to the incinerator or to a landfill.”
The bans are part of the state’s Solid Waste Master Plan, which has the ambitious goals of cutting yearly trash tonnage 30% by 2030 and 90% by 2050.
The state set a similar goal of a 30% reduction in solid waste between 2010 and 2020 -- but, by 2019, just a 16% reduction had been achieved.
In Needham, they’re a bit ahead of the new trash regulations.
“We’ve had mattress recycling for five or six years now, said DeMarrais. “We started with a grant from the DEP. We’ve had textile recycling since I’ve been here.”
Still, some mattresses could not be recycled in Needham and wound up in the trash. That won’t happen now. And DeMarrais said it only makes sense to ban the new items from landfills or incinerators -- especially when it comes to textiles.
“It’s not that (textiles) don’t degrade, it’s just that they’re really useful,” he said. “A sweater can be reused as a sweater for someone who needs it. A shirt the same. But if clothing has tears or rips it can be used for insulation, it can be used under carpeting, it can be used for animal bedding. It’s got a lot of uses.”
Many Massachusetts residents have been recycling clothing for years by dumping unwanted items into the many donation boxes run by such organizations as PlanetAid and Bay State Textiles. And they can continue doing so. But when it comes to mattresses, communities are handling things in a variety of ways.
DeMarrais said every DPW should have a plan in place for mattress recycling. Some communities will require mattresses be brought to a transfer station -- perhaps only on certain days. Others will do curbside pick-up. The one thing likely common to all these plans: a fee. DeMarrais said expect to pay $20 to $50 to recycle a mattress.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW