SALEM — The city is continuing to help the planet with its updated recycling program.
Salem has partnered with TerraCycle, a U.S-based recycling company, to offer permanent collection bins to recycle items that would otherwise be thrown in the trash. These items include Swiffer pads, reusable and disposable razors, blades, and cartridges, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, mouthwash bottles, floss containers, soap and toothbrush packaging, deodorant containers and caps, empty writing instruments, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers, and paint sets.
“We couldn’t have made this happen without the dedicated work of the city’s Recycling Committee, SalemRecycles,” says Waste Reduction Coordinator Micaela Guglielmi. “We’ve had great success collecting TerraCycle items at our Textile Drives, so we’re excited to have a permanent, year-round location for residents to drop off these items.”
Residents looking to drop off and recycle these items can do so on the first floor of the City Hall Annex. The annex is open Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.
“Salem has been a leader in recycling efforts, helping reduce the amount of trash our community generates,” said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. “Not only is this better for our environment, it also reduces costs to our community since it is so much more expensive to dispose of trash instead of recycling. I encourage all Salem residents to bring any of these recyclable items to City Hall Annex and place them into the appropriate bins for recycling.”
This could be just the beginning of Salem’s effort to help the environment, as the city entered into an agreement to establish an offshore wind port. Recycling Committee Chair Carol Hautau is excited for the opportunity to have even more items be recycled.
“The Recycling Committee is always looking for creative ways to reduce waste around the city, and now residents can keep these items out of their trash and know they are being recycled into new items,” she said.
