Do you find curbside recycling complicated? You are not alone. An effort is underway to correct some of the common mistakes that are made at the curb. This personalized approach means that contaminated recycling is left behind and marked with an orange sticker explaining what kind of contamination was found. 

Why should we all care about cleaning up our recycling? Because what we each put in the blue bin or barrel will be collected, sorted, sold, and made into something new. If there is trash in there, that whole system is interrupted, causing inefficiency, extra costs, and sometimes even dangerous working conditions. 

How can we know what is and what is not recyclable at the curb? The rules for Arlington are the same as the rules across the state. There is a great website that can help answer specific questions: Recyclesmartma.org. The Recyclopedia search box on the Town’s website connects residents to this same information.  

For those who want the rules in simple language, here is the part of the story you may want to cut out and hold onto: 

• Glass containers - bottles and jars from food or beverages only 
• Metal containers - cans from food or beverages only 
• Paper and cardboard - includes junk mail and boxes- tape and labels do not need to be removed 
• Plastic - only these: bottles, jars, jugs and tub from kitchen, bath and laundry products. Yes, there is a lot more detail here, but if you just recycle these, you are doing a great job! 

That’s it, nothing else. All other plastic is either trash or perhaps it’s “bulky rigid plastic” which is a specific material, like a 5 gallon bucket, trash/recycling barrel or large plastic play structure. This means that most plastics are trash, including office plastics, piping/siding/fencing, and really bendy plastics like vinyl. Another exception is stretchy plastic bags, such as produce/grocery/bread bags, which can go back to the grocery stores for recycling collection there. These bags are not accepted in curbside recycling and will be rejected, causing the whole recycling container to be left behind. 

What happens if you get an orange sticker on your recycling? It means that your recycling will not be collected that week, and that you have a week to clean out the contamination in order for it to be collected the following week. We do track addresses, so we will notice if you have repeated stickers. If you are a large building receiving many stickers, please be sure to contact DPW for access to education and further instruction. 

Residents who place out too much trash or unacceptable trash may also find orange stickers placed on the trash that will be left behind. The sticker will offer feedback and describe what the problem was. Please consider this a learning opportunity, not a punishment.  

There are many rules associated with curbside trash and recycling programs. Many of the rules are dictated by state waste ban laws that your local DPW and hauling contractor are expected to enforce. These waste bans help protect people, pets, wildlife and the environment.  

Trash and recycling can be an afterthought for most residents, that is until there is a major cleanout or an large piece of something that needs a solution outside the normal “toss in the trash.” For some of these situations, there are solutions in place that take a bit more effort by residents, such as making an appointment to drop off materials at the Reuse & Recycling Center or Household Hazardous Waste events in Lexington, which each require making appointments and may involve some fees. 

For some materials, there is no solution that your municipality can offer, and a private junk company or environmental services company may need to be called in. Examples include construction and demolition material, soil, root balls, and any branch thicker than 1” in diameter. Please consider disposal costs in any future home or landscape renovation contract. 

The only way to avoid trash is not to buy anything. Same is basically true with recycling, since many food containers are required to be recycled because of those same state waste ban laws. Your community collects the curbside recycling materials that are required to be recycled. Everyone has junk mail, most people have boxes from time to time, and if you drink anything other than tap water, then you have recycling.  

Arlington DPW is here to answer questions. For immediate information, residents can access the Recyclesmartma.org tool 24/7, and we do our best to keep the Town website (arlingtonma.gov/recycle) updated and accurate. If you can’t find the answer to your question, call us at 781-316-3108 and leave a message. While we all get used to seeing orange stickers around town, it may take a few days to return calls, but we are committed to being a useful source of information.