City to Begin Commercial Recycling Program
Info Meeting Thursday 6PM at City Hall
Story Updated 10:30AM, Thursday, February 19, 2009
– Tom Lincoln, Chair, Recycling and Trash Improvements Commission
For many years, Medford businesses in the “squares†have received trash services at various pickup frequencies. In 2008, a discussion was started about Medford’s overall recycling rate and related issues and it was realized that commercial recycling was minimal. This topic is linked, of course, to other aspects of trash (Municipal Solid Waste – MSW) and recycling here in Medford.
Accordingly, in mid-2008 Mayor Michael McGlynn appointed a new commission to study Medford’s trash and recycling programs and come up with proposed program and policy changes in the areas of:
Commercial trash and recycling
Residential recycling and trash
Recycling in Medford Schools and municipal facilities
Illegal dumping in Medford
The “Recycling and Trash Improvements Commission†members are all volunteers: Tom Lincoln, Medford resident and Chair, Lois Grossman, Medford resident, Brian Kerins, Deputy DPW Commissioner, Richard Lee, mayoral aide, James Nocella, Waste Management, Robert M. Penta, Medford City Councilor, and Dr. Reza Pourshadi, businessperson and Medford Chamber of Commerce member.
As set forth by the Mayor, the Commission has worked towards these goals:
Improve Medford’s recycling rate and environmental benefits
Control (and perhaps improve) municipal solid waste (MSW) costs
Promote equity (fairness) among users and beneficiaries
We did a great deal of research about Medford’s track record, studied the policies and experience of other cities and towns, talked extensively with state experts on recycling, and held several public hearings in the summer of 2008.
We held a public hearing about commercial trash and recycling in June, sent out a survey, and have been working with the Medford Chamber of Commerce, with Dr. Pourshadi as the liaison.
Working with all this information, the Commission developed a comprehensive series of recommendations and presented them to the Mayor in October, 2008. Subsequent to additional discussions and tweaking, new changes in the area of commercial recycling and trash services were announced on January 30, 2009. I am sure my fellow Commission members join me in thanking Jim Nocella and Waste Management (WM) for their tremendous help and cooperation here. This new initiative is being done entirely within the existing WM contract with the City of Medford.
A little background on commercial trash services in Medford
Medford has provided commercial trash services in business districts at curbside for many years. Pickups are made 3 times a week in Medford Square, twice a week in Haines Square/Salem Street, and once a week in the Hillside and West Medford Square.
Medford is the only city or town in the region (and perhaps all of Massachusetts) that provides commercial trash pickup at no additional cost to businesses. Malden, Melrose, Stoneham and Waltham have no commercial trash services. Somerville provides commercial trash pickup on a “barrel permit†basis, where permits range from $429 to $6,400 annually, based on the volume of trash generated. Arlington requires the purchase of trash bags at $2.10 apiece. All these cities and towns have dropoff recycling for businesses.
Benefits of the New Commercial Recycling Program
Financial benefits
Recycling reduces trash tonnage and tipping costs. Every ton of recycling saves $79.35 in tipping costs, plus any revenue split from the sale of paper and cardboard. We have serious financial issues here in Medford and the more we save, the better it will be for the municipal budget!
Environmental benefits and reducing our carbon footprint
Medford’s overall recycling rate is about 12% — the state average is 30%, so we have a way to go. This is one of the ways we can improve it. Recycling saves energy and natural resources such as water, wood, etc.
We face a serious climate change (global warming) crisis on our little planet. As you might imagine, papermaking is very energy and carbon-emissions intensive. On average, making one ton of virgin paper in North America produces about 4.25 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Making one ton of 100% recycled paper produces about 1.79 tons of CO2. That’s a saving of about 2.4 tons of CO2 per ton of recycled paper. These figures, by the way, assume that the papermaking plant uses regular electricity from oil, gas, or coal. Those that use power from renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal) do much better – for example, Cascades Paper says its recycled paper produces only about one-seventh (14%) of the CO2 of regular paper.
How might that play out in Medford? Commercial trash tonnage in Medford is about 1,600 to 2,000 tons a year. Industry statistics show that paper and cardboard is as much as 50% of business trash, by weight. This if we can recycle 40% of this average tonnage, or 720 tons, we’ll reduce CO2 emissions about 1,728 tons per year (2.4 times 720). The actual carbon footprint savings will depend, of course, on how much is recycled.
Most basically – this is simply the right thing to do.
An additional benefit
We heard a lot about litter in the squares, some portion of which is produced by escaping trash. With the removal of paper in an efficient fashion and the reduction in trash tonnage, we hope for a neater 2009 in our commercial areas.
Medford’s New Commercial Recycling and Trash Program in a Nutshell
Who is affected: Only those Medford businesses in the Business Districts listed below, who are currently receiving waste disposal services from the City of Medford.
Commercial curbside recycling for all types of cardboard and paper starts the week of March 2, 2009.
Commercial Recycling will be picked up every Friday, so the first pickup will be March 6.
Like residential recycling, commercial recycling will be mandatory – trash and recycling cannot be mixed together.
Changes in the commercial trash pickup schedule – one of the strong messages the Commission heard from businesses had to do with fairness among the various commercial districts in terms of pickup frequency. To make things even among the districts and to keep the commercial recycling simple and focused, all districts will get two pickups a week – one for trash and one for recycling.
New Schedule for Once-a-week Commercial Trash pickups (starting March 2, 2009)
Medford Sq.: Monday – High Street, Salem St. and Riverside Avenue from Hillside Ave. to I-93 rotary. Please have your trash at the curb by 10AM.
Haines Sq. / Salem St.: Monday – Numbers 418 to 470 Salem Street, inclusive. Please have your trash at the curb by 7AM.
Medford Hillside: Thursday – Numbers 317 to 356 Boston Avenue, inclusive. Please have your trash at the curb by 7AM.
West Medford Square: Wednesday – Nos. 430 to 509 High Street (except 486), 1 to 9 Playstead Rd. Please have your trash at the curb by 7AM.
South Medford: Friday – Main Street from No. 156 to the Somerville line (690). (Recycling, too!). Please have your trash at the curb by 7AM.
What will be picked up for commercial recycling:
Cardboard boxes and packing materials (any size)
Office paper
Computer paper
Magazines
Newspapers
Catalogs
Other paper of all kinds
Recycling must be on the curb by 7AM on Friday in all districts.
How to put out your commercial recycling (it’s simple)
We’re keeping the program very simple – no special preparation is required. Materials may be set out in cardboard boxes, plastic bins or clean trash cans, or in tied bundles. Cardboard does not have to be cut down or flattened. All cardboard and paper must be clean – no food, liquids, plastics, grease, etc. Please be neat! (Materials must not get loose and make a mess)
Please have your commercial recycling at the curb by 7 a.m. every Friday.
DO NOT MIX RECYCLING WITH TRASH!
Here’s how we are rolling out information about the program
We’re working with the Medford Chamber of Commerce to inform their members by e-mail. The informational flyer will be distributed by hand in the business districts. The informational sheet is also on the City of Medford Website (click here).
Your comments and ideas, please
We welcome comments and ideas about recycling and trash issues in Medford, which may be sent to: MedfordRTICommission@comcast.net
FAQs about Medford’s New Commercial Recycling Program
What if my business is NOT in one of the commercial districts?
Businesses located outside Commercial Districts will receive recycling services on the residential recycling schedule. Details to follow soon, as part of the residential recycling initiative.
What if my business doesn’t have any paper or cardboard?
If you don’t produce any paper or cardboard, you’ll have nothing to put out for now.
What if I mix cardboard or paper with trash?
We assume you’re doing it by accident. To get people used to the new program, there will be a “Grace period†until March 27, 2009. So, if you forget and mix recycling with trash, we’ll understand until March 27, 2009. After that date, commercial recycling that is mixed with trash (on any pickup day) will not be picked up.