Packaging
Be a smart and active consumer. Try to choose another brand with less packaging. Give feedback to manufacturers and retailers that you want them to use more easily recycled materials. At restaurants, ask for more recyclable packaging like aluminum foil or less harmful packaging like Chinese food containers. Bring your own containers and mugs. Be creative about reducing and reusing.
- Aseptic Containers
Examples: milk cartons and juice boxes. Rinse and set out for curbside recycling, or bring to the Recycling Center during open hours.
- Chip Bags
These are made of Mylar and cannot be recycled. Dispose with regular household trash.
- Packing Peanuts
Bring Styrofoam packing peanuts to a UPS store at 955 Mass Ave (617) 868-5055, or the Recycling Center during open hours. Compostable packing peanuts are accepted with food scraps at the Recycling Center. All peanuts may be placed with with regular household trash.
- Blister Packaging
Recycle hard clear plastic form packaging in the curbside program, or bring to the Recycling Center during open hours.
- Styrofoam
Accepted with regular household trash. You can recycle it with Congliaro Industries or use the national mailback program offered by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers. It is not accepted in the curbside program because it will get shredded by the recycling sorting equipment and end up as litter at the facility. Also, it is simply not economic to recycle styrofoam. The best approach is to avoid it and use alternative materials.
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Dept of Public Works
147 Hampshire St
Cambridge
MA
02139
Phone:617.349.4800
TDD:617.349.4805
Email Us
Hours of Service
Monday: 8:30am-8pm
Tuesday-Thursday: 8:30am-5pm
Friday: 8:30am-12pm
Recycling Center Hours
Tuesday & Thursday: 4:00pm-7:30pm
Saturday: 9:00am-4:00pm
Ms. Randi Mail
Director of Recycling
617.349.4866
rmail@cambridgema.gov
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