WASTE REDUCTION
Green Actions

COMPOST OPTIONS * RECYCLING IN BEVERLY * UNWANTED OTHER STUFF

RECYCLING IN BEVERLY

Remember, reducing and reusing materials are important steps to take before recycling!  Please keep all recycled materials as clean as possible.

Recycling of Specialty items: 

Please go to the City of Beverly website here for comprehensive information on recycling of specialty items.    Many of your recycling questions may be answered on this City FAQ page.   For excellent general MA recycling information go here. 

  • For a comprehensive list of how to dispose of all sorts of things see this document. (Question #1 on the city FAQ list) 

  • keep recycled materials as clean as possible

  • look for fundraising events at which you can recycle electronics (follow us to get notifications)

  • Staples is taking many items - please review this list here - items from electronics to crayons! 

  • Unpacked Living, a store here in Beverly, also recycles special items. See the list here. 

  • keep your clothing and textiles out of the trash (in addition to clothing, acceptable items include: footwear, accessories and linens)  Beverly school’s have drop-off bins, please go here for more information. (Please note that textiles never go in curbside recycling.) 

  • bring single use plastic bags (popped bubble wrap and other items) to local grocery stores (look for collection bins near entrances - at Whole Foods you bring your bags to the customer service desk.)

  • recycle Styrofoam at special events (follow us to get notifications)

  • Dispose of waste oil/(used motor oil) at the Beverly municipal garage. See question #26 for location/times. 

  • take hazardous materials to Household Hazardous Waste Day events. 

  • reduce junk mail (sign up at  catalogchoice.org   DMAchoice.org  or  optoutprescreen.com or use the app, Paper Karma)

  • mattress disposal - refer to this page for Beverly’s information.

  • Christmas tree lights (see item #11) and other wire scraps can be brought to Unpacked Living  

Curbside Recycling:

All Massachusetts recycling facilities, called  “material recovery facilities (MRF)” accept the same items: glass, metal, paper and cardboard, and many plastics. For curbside recycling information please refer to the following websites: 

  • Refer to the City’s information  here 

  • Use this handy graphic from Recycle Smart MA to help you remember what is recycled. 

  • If you have questions on specific items you can type them into the Recyclopedia search bar at the top of this page. This search tool is an excellent resource!  

  • Black plastic should be placed in the trash because it is missed by optical sorters at recycling sorting facilities and will either end up in the trash or contaminating other materials.

Take a virtual tour below of Republic's MRF in Peabody, which handles Beverly's recycling. Video recorded April of 2024.

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COMPOST

OTHER STUFF

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If you are not sure if something belongs in the recycling bin,

USE THE RECYCLOPEDIA TOOL

Did You Know?

How are things Recycled in Beverly?

Beverly is now a single stream collector. Meaning it no longer requires paper/cardboard to be separated from other items (Glass, Metal, Plastic)

BUT it’s important not to throw everything into the recycling (i.e., “wish cycling”)

  • if in doubt, look it up in the Recyclopedia Tool (above)

  • NO cords/cables, plastic bags, or small items like credit cards

What Can NOT Be Recycled?

 

Most plastic ends up in landfill, even much of the plastic you may dutifully put in the recycling bin.

(So, buy products that are not packed in plastic.)

WASTE PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN WASTE MANAGEMENT

Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television or computer for three hours.

The premise is simple, you don’t have to recycle or dispose of something you don’t buy in the first place. That is called waste prevention.

Recycling requires energy, resources, water, money, and management.

Read: More Recycling Won't Solve Plastic Pollution

“Recycling plastic is to saving the Earth what hammering a nail is to halting a falling skyscraper.”

Recycling does have value. It is one of the easier climate-friendly acts individuals can undertake, and it reduces the extraction of virgin materials.
Despite the carbon involved in the collection, transport, and processing, recycled aluminum, for example, is about 95 percent less energy-intensive to forge than its raw alternative.

Have a question about composting or recycling?
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