In the past residents have been able to dispose of old fluorescent lamps, compact bulbs and tubes, in the Town Hall copy room. Town Hall has been closed for some time, however, and will likely remain closed. DO NOT leave these hazardous mercury-bearing items outside in back of Town Hall.
Lowes will accept compact fluorescent lamps (CFL bulbs) and fluorescent tubes shorter than 8 feet. There are recycling bins just inside the door to "Returns."
Home Depot will accept compact fluorescent lamps (CFL bulbs).
It is dangerous to leave these items outside. Please either take them to Lowes or Home Depot or hang onto them until Town Hall reopens.
Trash bags and Leverett Transfer Station stickers are available at Town Hall on MONDAYS ONLY from 3:30 to 5p.m.
If you missed the Trash Bag distribution days at the school, put on your mask and go to Town Hall. Distribution will be set up outside the front door. LTS stickers cost $20.
Here are some recent changes to recycling —
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Shredded paper will NOT BE accepted in recycling
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Aerosol cans will NOT BE accepted in recycling
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Clear plastic cups (if not labeled 'compostable') WILL BE accepted in recycling
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Clear plastic egg cartons WILL BE accepted in recycling
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Pizza boxes CAN BE recycled — as long as they contain no food (grease is okay).
The MA DEP has provided a Smart Recycling Guide for an overview of what is and what is not recyclable. If you still have questions about whether a particular item is recyclable, you can easily get an answer by checking the interactive Recyclopedia. Remember, putting the wrong items in your recycling bin compromises the whole Town's load!
Staples accepts many electronics for recycling at no cost! Read/download their list of items here. Staples sends items to ERI for sorting, shredding, and for recycling of materials.
Shutesbury residents can now use the Leverett Transfer Station! Check out how it works here. See the price list here.
Test your recycling knowledge! Read/download the quiz and answers here.
Test your plastics recycling knowledge with Ocean Conservancy's quiz.
Recycling and trash figures for fiscal year 2020 (July 2019 through June 2020)
Shutesbury residents collected 185.98 tons of materials for recycling in FY2020 — 82.56 tons of bottles & containers and 103.43 tons of paper.
Shutesbury residents discarded 331.30 tons of trash in FY2020.
Total waste stream = trash + recycled materials = 517.28 tons.
Recycled materials as percent of total waste stream = 35.95% (a decrease of 0.09% from FY 2019).
The Town was charged $78.13/ton to dispose of trash in FY2020. By recycling those 185.98 tons of materials, Shutesbury residents saved the Town $14,529.69 in hauler fees — money we didn't have to spend to dispose of trash!
Recycling & Trash