MassDEP officials outline what belongs — and what doesn’t — in curbside recycling

Denene Simpson, director of Environmental Justice at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and Greg Cooper, MassDEP’s director of hazardous and solid waste, provided step-by-step guidance on what residents should and should not place in curbside recycling bins to reduce contamination and safety risks.

The officials said contamination at sorting facilities can damage equipment, slow processing and lower the value of recyclable materials — increasing costs for municipalities and creating hazards for workers. “It’s very critical to put the right materials in there,” Cooper said, adding that correct sorting makes recycling “more efficient and more cost effective and more beneficial to the environment.”

MassDEP guidance covered several common items. Pizza boxes are acceptable if emptied of food and large crumbs; the cardboard material is recyclable even if the box has some grease, Simpson said. Clothing, towels, sheets and footwear should not go in curbside recycling because textiles “get tangled up in the equipment at the sorting facility and cause serious problems and concerns for workers’ safety,” Cooper said. MassDEP directs residents to donation drop-off locations across Massachusetts for textiles, including items that are worn or torn if they are clean and dry.

Clear plastic deli containers, cups and takeout clamshells for salads, berries and similar foods can go in curbside recycling, Cooper said, because those plastics can be sorted and made into new products. By contrast, plastic grocery bags and other film plastics should not go in the bin; Cooper said that film “gets tangled up in the machinery at the sorting facilities disrupting operations and endangering workers.” Many grocery stores and retailers in Massachusetts accept film plastics for separate recycling.

Rechargeable batteries for power tools, e-bikes and electronics should never go in curbside recycling, the officials said, because damaged batteries can start fires and endanger workers and equipment. MassDEP recommends using retail and municipal drop-off locations that accept batteries and points users to the department’s online resources to find local options.

Cooper summarized the message for residents: “Recycling is real. It’s not a myth. It happens.” For more details and a searchable database of drop-off options, the officials directed residents to recyclesmartma.org and the site’s “Beyond the Bin” database.

The presentation focused on practical, safety- and contamination-reduction measures; no regulatory changes or formal votes were discussed during the recorded remarks.