South Hadley, MA - What Can I Recycle?

Residents in South Hadley receive curbside pickup of their recyclables twice a month. There are three important questions when it comes to recycling in any locale: 1) what materials are recyclable, 2) why are certain materials recyclable and others not, and 3) where do the materials go once they’re collected?

First, it’s important to understand that when materials are picked up curbside, they must go to a plant to be processed in order to become raw materials in yet another manufacturing process. The answer to 3) is that all of South Hadley’s recyclables go to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Springfield, MA, which is owned by MA DEP, but operated by Waste Management Recycle America. The decision about which materials residents need to separate out for recycling is directly related to the market for those materials. As manufacturers develop new methods for recycling, new items are added to the list of materials residents must separate out for recycling. This is why it can become confusing for residents to understand which materials they need to recycle, and which to leave as trash. Because all of South Hadley’s recyclables go to the MRF, our list of what is recyclable is generated by the MRF. Click here for more detailed information about MRF operations.

There are two separate recycling streams collected in South Hadley; one for paper and cardboard, and another for mixed containers. Paper recyclables and mixed container recyclables must each be placed in separate containers, because the truck which collects them has two separate hoppers, one for each recycling stream. When the recycling truck tips its load at the MRF, each stream is tipped separately because paper goods are handled differently from mixed containers.

There are two main reasons why certain paper products are unacceptable for recycling; one, because the paper has been coated with a material which makes it water resistant, and two, because of contamination. The process of recycling paper involves turning old paper into pulp which in turn is dried and pressed into new paper. If coated paper or paper covered in grease enters the process, there will be flaws in the new paper.

The MRF has listed on its website a 'YES/NO' chart outlining what may and may not be recycled at the MRF.

Materials on the ‘Yes’ list are relatively easy to process: clean, sort and bale. They also have some value and marketability. These materials are recycled and made into new items, such as new aluminum cans, new glass bottles, new metal products, new paper, new clothing (such as fleece from plastic bottles), new carpet and plastic lumber, etc. Materials on the ‘No’ list, such as hangers, scrap metal and plastic bags, can get tangled in sorting or baling equipment. Lids and medicine bottles are too small and fall through bales. Scrap metal is too large to bale. There are no markets for many plastics, especially Styrofoam, planting pots, and plastics that are not from food and beverage or detergent products.

Putting items from the ‘No’ list into the recycling bins slows down the workers at the MRF, as they have to pick them out and throw them in the garbage. ‘No’ list items contaminate the other recyclables, and can make marketing difficult. One contaminant of particular note is plastic bags, the kind typically used in grocery stores. Although many people like to put their recyclables into plastic bags and then into recycling bins, to help cut down on mess, those plastic bags are a very big problem at the MRF. Not only does it slow down the workers, who then have to open the bags before sorting, but the bags themselves can jam the sorting equipment, leading to costly delays. Please do not use plastic bags for any recyclables. The MRF has an informative video on its website showing how materials are handled, at www.springfieldmrf.org. The website also lists many frequently asked questions with regard to what materials are recyclable.

The following are the items listed as not recyclable by the MRF:

Soda & beer cartons Water resistant coating

Cups Food/grease contamination

Egg Cartons Fibers too short for recycling

Frozen Juice containers Food/grease contamination

Take-out containers Food/grease contamination

Butter & margarine boxes Water resistant coating

Paper towels Food/grease contamination/Fibers too short for recycling

Tissues Fibers too short for recycling

Tyvek or padded envelopes Plastic/water resistant

Hardcover books Two grades of materials; the paper inside is fine for recycling but the covers must be removed. Also hard to bale hardcover books.

Sticker & sticker sheeting Not paper/waxed or plastic coating

Glossy boxes which show white strands Water resistant coating

when torn (frozen food boxes)

Blueprints Can be recycled but must not include carbon paper

Dirtied paper (pet waste, paint) Contaminated

Copy paper packaging Water resistant types cannot be recycled; paper packaging is fine

There are three main reasons why certain plastics cannot be recycled at the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF): either there are no markets for that particular material (and this can be true even if there is a recycling arrow indicating the material is recyclable), or the MRF does not have the right equipment to process the material, or there is a quality issue. The quality issue has to do with separating out the plastics into one uniform stream. Some items cannot be separated out at the MRF; however there is a market for the materials if they are brought in separately. Currently, the following items are not acceptable for curbside collection:

Styrofoam Limited market and transportation (require minimum weight)

Cups, plates, utensils, straws No Markets

Bags Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

Plastic wrap/sheeting Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

Cartons/trays (such as cookie trays) No Markets

Liners from food packaging No Markets

Cellophane food bags No Markets

Frozen food bags/pouches No Markets

Meat trays No Markets

Egg cartons No Markets

Medicine & pill bottles There is market for # 2 only

‘Packing’ peanuts No Markets

Foam packing No Markets

Clothes baskets Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

Flower pots No Markets; recommend to bring back to nurseries

Black plastic No Markets

5-gallon pails; buckets Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

VCR, CD cases No Markets

Bottles which contained motor oil or The hazardous material will contaminate other products

other hazardous materials

Curbside/other plastic bins Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

Dry cleaner/garment bags Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

Indoor/outdoor/patio furniture Need to be separated from the regular stream to maintain quality

Swimming pools No markets

Hoses; PVC piping or tubing No markets

Containers bigger than 2.5 gallons Equipment design

The following is a list of the rest of the items on the ‘NO’ list, and the reasons those items cannot be included in your curbside bin for recycling. Some items may be brought to the Recycling Center (RC) instead, however.

Siding PVC, no market

Scrap Jams equipment (bring to RC)

Foil-wrapped beverage pouches Mixed materials; cannot be separated

Hangers Jams equipment

Scrap metal Jams equipment (bring to RC)

Aerosol spray cans Hazardous/safety issue (bring to RC)

Paint cans Hazardous (seasonally accepted at RC)

Car parts Jams equipment

Appliances Hazardous (bring to RC)

Pipes Jams equipment

Pots & pans Jams equipment

Fuel tanks Hazardous/safety issue

Ceramics Ceramics and porcelain contaminate the

Baking dishes glass at the mill

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Drinking glasses Any Pyrex or plated glass melts at different

Cookware (Pyrex) temperatures, which creates a quality issue

Medicine bottles at the mill

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Fluorescent lights Universal waste (bring to RC)

Wine corks Quality issues

Foil –wrapped pouches Mixed materials: cannot be separated

Frozen juice cartons Mixed materials: cannot be separated

Frozen food packaging Mixed materials: cannot be separated

Plastic straws No Market