Zero Waste Melrose to sponsor Hard-to-Recycle Items in 2020
There are many products in our daily lives that we’d like to be able to recycle once we’re done with them, but we can’t–at least in our curbside recycling bins. It takes some innovation, as well as some modification of the value chain, to divert items like contact lenses, empty toothpaste tubes, and other used beauty care products from the landfill to reprocessing.
One of those innovators is New Jersey-based TerraCycle, which has reached agreements with several product manufactures and local groups to collect product packaging of various types and return them for reprocessing. For a few years now, for example, TerraCycle has been working with the Roosevelt Elementary School here in Melrose to collect juice packs and other items for recycling.
Zero Waste Melrose (formerly the Melrose Recycling Committee) has formed a relationship with TerraCycle to help collect those hard-to-recycle items. The first collection took place at Sally Frank’s Farmers Market in September 2019. The second event was at the Indoor Farmers’ Market at the Melrose YMCA on Main Street, in November 2019.
Zero Waste Melrose will notify the public of upcoming collection events.
What follows is a pictorial presentation of the items that will be accepted during this event. Start saving these items now!
List of acceptable items:
Personal Care Items:
• All brands of mouthwash bottles and caps, deodorant containers and caps, toothpaste tubes and caps, soap packaging, floss containers, and toothbrushes (Remove excess product)
• All brands of blades and razors (including disposable units and replaceable-blade cartridge units) and rigid plastic and flexible plastic packaging
• All brands of contact lenses and blister packs. Note: TerraCycle only allows collection at an established eye care facility. Please bring your used contact lenses and blister packs to:
Family Opticians — 490 Main Street, Melrose during office hours. Thank you Dr. Kim Ciampa + Dr. Charles Maggio!
Household Items:
• Fruit/yogurt squeeze pouches with screw tops
• Foil-lined granola bar wrappers
Brand-Specific Items (Remove all excess product) :
• Arm & Hammer plastic pouches
• Barilla Ready Pasta pouches
• Brita (filters, dispensers, pitchers, packaging, bottles, and bottle filters)
• Burt’s Bees
• Calbee Snacks (Harvest Snaps)
• Dawn, Olay, Old Spice soft packs
• Entenmann’s Little Bites and Minis pouches
• Eos
• Febreze Aerosol/Febreze Air Care
• Hasbro (All toys and games, including: board games, electronic toys & games, metal/plastic/wood toys & games, action figures, dolls, plush toys, etc.)
• Herbal Essences
• NOW food and supplement pouches
• Oxiclean plastic pouches
• Weleda Skin Food packaging
