Committee members on Aug. 12 described concentrated volumes of corrugated cardboard and mixed trash in several Deerfield-area multifamily complexes and agreed to pursue outreach and hauler inquiries to free up compactor space and increase recycling.

Patty Swan, a committee member who visited Deerfield complexes, described the sites as "corrugated box heaven," saying move-ins and move-outs produce large amounts of cardboard that overload shared compactors. "So this is about 1,100 families we're talking about," Patty said, noting the scale of material involved and the uncertainty about how collected materials are currently handled.

Patty reported that some complexes use commercial compactors that receive mixed loads, while at least one site keeps a large bin solely for aluminum cans. She and other members said they do not yet know whether haulers separate or sell recovered materials, and they volunteered to ask the haulers directly.

"I volunteered to contact both Trash Butler and Valet Living to find out where it all goes, if they recycle," Patty told the committee. Chair Charlie Lanzowach and other members supported targeted, face-to-face outreach by committee volunteers to apartment managers and HOAs.

The committee discussed immediate, practical steps: create a clear, editable flyer or template listing local recycling opportunities and upcoming events; confirm whether haulers are collecting and selling recyclables from compactors; and identify short-term collection points for corrugated cardboard. Members said an early-September household hazardous-waste collection in Cambridge is an opportunity to distribute organized materials to property managers and residents.

Charlie shared examples of higher-capacity community recycling operations elsewhere. He described a staffed site that stages corrugated for baling and noted, "a 53 foot trailer will take 53,000 pounds approximately," a scale that could make a baling site viable if the city combines school and municipal volumes for collection and bailing.

The committee directed volunteers to gather hauler and HOA contact information, and to return with concrete proposals at the Sept. 9 meeting. Patty said she will follow up with apartment managers and supply a refined flyer for the September event.

Ending: Committee members said the Deerfield outreach could reduce compactor loads, recover value from corrugated cardboard and lower costs for property managers and residents; staff and volunteers will report back at the next meeting.