DATE:  November 12, 2007

Trash tons go down in South Shore towns

Recycling tonnage jumps by 7%

Residential trash tonnage disposed by the fifteen South Shore Recycling Cooperative member towns dropped nearly 5% from 2005 to 2006, with all but one town reporting reductions.   During the same time period, overall recycling tonnage jumped by 7%.  Figures, summarized below, are based on the 2005 and 2006 Municipal Recycling Data Sheets submitted to MassDEP by each town.  (Construction / demolition and yard waste tons were not used in any of these calculations.)

Hingham, Scituate and Whitman showed the greatest improvements of all the member towns in their waste management figures, detailed below.

During this time period, none of the towns implemented any major program changes.  However, in spring of 2006, the South Shore Recycling Cooperative did a pilot project funded by MassDEP to encourage residents to recycle more paper. In 2005, the estimated cost to dispose of good paper that went in the trash (based on the Tellus Institute estimate that 31.5% of all our  municipal trash and recyclables is paper) was about $2.085 million. In 2006, that cost to burn and bury good paper went down by about $50,000, to $2.035M, despite increases in the per ton disposal costs.

The improvement is good news, but from 2005 to 2006, our fifteen South Shore towns still threw away about 30,000 tons of recyclable paper in 2006.  In addition to the cost for disposal, currently averaging $76/ton, there is additional cost to haul it to the disposal facility, and a loss of revenue from the sale of recyclable paper to the processors.  Paper is a valuable commodity, and processors pay a minimum of $7.50/ton to municipalities for it, with some towns earning as much as $35/ton (depending of location, volume, and who delivers it).  This revenue offsets the cost of trash disposal.

Across the State, the amount of wasted paper is about 1.5 million tons.  The South Shore paper project was a pilot for a Statewide paper recycling campaign, chaired by the SSRC’s Executive Director, Claire Sullivan.  Dubbed “Mass Recycles Paper!”, the Campaign’s goal is to challenge residents and businesses to recycle a million tons a year of the paper that is now being landfilled and incinerated, in addition to the 1.2 million tons that is currently recovered.  The financial stakes statewide are about $150M/year.  The Campaign is kicking off on America Recycles Day, November 15^th at an event in Springfield.  MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt will preside, and present a proclamation from Governor Patrick in support of the campaign. Go to www.massrecyclespaper.org for more information.