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Health Department

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1. Where can I bring tires?

Most tire stores that sell tires will take them back for free or for a small fee. 

2. What do I do with styrofoam?

Polystyrene "peanuts" can be taken to Mailboxes etc, UPS, to be recycled. Styrofoam can be taken to Gold Circuit E-recycling on Silver St in Agawam for $20. 

3. What time will my trash and recycling be picked up?

Republic trucks will be begin pickups at 7 am. Your pick up might not be at the same time each pickup day. If your trash/recycling is not collected by 6 pm, please call the Health Dept. (413)525-5400 x 1103.

4. What do I do with wire hangers?

Wire hangers are accepted by local dry cleaners or can be brought to the Transfer Station in the metal dumpster.

5. Where can I dispose of latex paint?

• Latex paint can be left at curbside with your weekly trash. Remove the lid and let dry completely to a solid state. To aid in drying, add kitty litter to paint and stir---usually happens overnight.
• Oil based paint--- save for a Household Hazardous Waste event or call the Health Dept, Recycling Coordinator (413)525-5400 x 1108.

6. Where do our recyclables go?

All of East Longmeadow's recyclables are brought to the MRF, the Massachusetts Recycling Facility in Springfield a facility that separates the material. The material recycling facility (MRF, pronounced merf) uses a combination of sorting equipment and people to separate the paper, glass, cans, and plastic. Once each material is separated it is baled. The glass is crushed. After this process, they are hauled to a variety of companies that use the material as feedstock for new products.

7. What happens to the materials that aren’t recyclable? Don’t they just get recycled anyway?

As much as the MRF would like to recycle everything we receive, market demand limits what can be recycled. The MRF cannot collect and process materials if there is no one to buy them. Similarly, if we include too much “junk” with our materials (such as plastic pools or laundry baskets mixed in with milk jugs), we risk losing buyers or getting a lower price for our materials.  In fact, the recycling facility has to pay a disposal fee for materials that can’t be recycled.

8. What effects do waste prevention and recycling have on global warming?

Everyone knows that reducing waste is good for the environment because it conserves natural resources. What many people don’t know is that solid waste reduction and recycling also have an impact on global climate change.

The manufacture, distribution, and use of products — as well as management of the resulting waste — all result in greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the upper atmosphere, occur naturally and help create climates that sustain life on our planet. Increased concentrations of these gases, though, can contribute to rising global temperatures, sea level changes, and other climate changes.

Waste prevention and recycling — jointly referred to as waste reduction — help us better manage the solid waste we generate. But reducing waste is a potent strategy for reducing greenhouse gases because it can:

Reduce emissions from energy consumption. Recycling saves energy. Manufacturing goods from recycled materials typically requires less energy than producing goods from virgin materials. When people reuse goods or when products are made with less material, less energy is needed to extract, transport, and process raw materials and to manufacture products. When energy demand decreases, fewer fossil fuels are burned and less carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere.

Reduce emissions from incinerators. Recycling and waste prevention divert materials from incinerators and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste combustion.

Reduce methane emissions from landfills. Waste prevention and recycling (including composting) divert organic wastes from landfills, reducing the methane that would be released if these materials decomposed in a landfill.

Increase storage of carbon in forests. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in wood in a process called “carbon sequestration.” Waste prevention and recycling paper products allows more trees to remain standing in the forest, where they can continue to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

9. How does recycling save energy?

Harvesting, extracting, and processing the raw materials used to manufacture new products is an energy-intensive activity. Reducing or nearly eliminating the need for these processes, therefore, achieves huge savings in energy. Recycling aluminum cans, for example, saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite. Making recycled steel saves 60%, recycled newspaper 40%, recycled plastics 70%, and recycled glass 40% of the energy needed to make products from raw materials. The amount of energy saved differs by material, but almost all recycling processes achieve significant energy savings compared to production using virgin materials.

10. Where does my trash go?

Our trash goes to the landfill.

11. Are pizza boxes recyclable?

Pizza boxes are recyclable. Remove the round cardboard disk that they pizza sat on and throw it in the trash. The box then can be recycled.

12. Do I need to clean my containers?

As long as the containers are empty and reasonably clean, you do not need to wash your containers. 

13. Why can't I put my recyclables in a plastic bag to be put out on the curb?

Our recycling facility does not accept recyclables in plastic bags. The plastic bags get caught in the shredder and shuts production down. Please put your recyclables directly in the recycling bin. 

14. What can I do with bubble wrap?

Bubble wrap is made from the same type of plastic as grocery, dry cleaning, newspaper, and bread bags. All these types of plastics are accepted at local grocery stores such as Big Y, Stop and Shop etc. They are also accepted at stores like Staples, and Office Max. Usually these stores have a bin close to the doors when you enter the store. If you have a large amount, just bring your bag to a store employee.

15. What can I do with plastic bags?

You can recycle them at your local grocery store, Target, Staples, Walmart. These bags need to be clean and dry. Other types of plastic can be recycled at these locations as well. Ziplock baggies, trash bags, bags from grocery stores, can be recycled.

16. Dual Stream versus Single Stream recycling?

East Longmeadow participates in dual stream recycling. Although single stream is convenient, mixing everything together leads to wet paper and bits of broken glass that can't be sorted. For the many cities that have now switched to single-stream with the goal of increasing their capture rates, these rising costs have been an unwelcome result. Single-stream wins in volume, but it sacrifices in quality and that costs our town more money. In December our town received $8 per ton for recyclables. Single stream communities received $0.

17. Where can I recycle boat wrap?

Round the Bend Farm located at 92 Allen Neck Rd, South Dartmouth, MA 02748. Its a year round, fee based program available to Massachusetts residents. Phone # 508-938-5127