Recycle Your OCC—Or Else!

For the first time, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has reported enforcement actions taken against violators of a ban against disposing of certain recyclable materials.

Among those cited for violating a ban on throwing out recyclable materials are both waste haulers and retailers and other generators of old corrugated containers (OCC) and other recyclables.

Waste hauling companies cited were: Allied Disposal of Quincy; BFI Waste Systems of Revere and Yarmouth; Frade’s Disposal of New Bedford; and Waste Management of South Hadley and Stoughton.

Retailers and other commercial generators cited included: American Red Cross of Dedham; Building 19 of Lynn; Ethan Allen Furniture of Bellingham; Friendly Fruit of New Bedford; Home Depot stores in Hyannis and Wareham; Lindenmeyr Munroe of Franklin; Westfield State College of Westfield; and Wright Line of Worcester.

 “A number of well-known Massachusetts businesses and institutions continue to throw away large volumes of easy-to-recycle cardboard in spite of a state ban on its disposal, savings on disposal costs and its value as a commodity,” a news release from the agency states.

“Continued disposal of recyclables is a needless waste of money, raw material, and in-state disposal capacity,” says MassDEP Acting Commissioner Arleen O’Donnell. “Diverting material from trash dumpsters to recycling bins saves everyone money. Recycling creates feedstock for companies that manufacture products with recycled content and employ thousands of people across the Commonwealth.”

MassDEP estimates that more than 1.5 million tons of paper products are still being disposed of in landfills and incinerators across the state every year at an average cost of $70 per ton, signifying a needless expense of up to $105 million for businesses and communities.

As part of a statewide campaign to cut down on continued disposal of cardboard and other “easy-to-recycle” materials, MassDEP sent inspectors to a number of solid waste facilities during the fall to monitor compliance with a state regulation that prohibits throwing those materials away.

One of every five truckloads of solid waste that inspectors observed were found to be in violation of state bans on disposal of large amounts of recyclables. One-third of the violations involved excessive amounts of cardboard: up to 40 percent of the material being thrown away, in some cases, according to MassDEP.