Cambridge Celebrates “America Recycles Day”

The City of Cambridge is joining thousands of communities across the U.S. to celebrate America Recycles Day on Wednesday, November 15, with an event at Cambridge City Hall. The Department of Public Works Recycling Division will be celebrating Cambridge’s successes to reduce waste and protect the climate with events around the City throughout the week.

The City will be celebrating:

• How far we have come since 1991, when citywide curbside recycling began. 
• In April 2018, curbside composting will go citywide. The City’s Pilot program has composted 700 tons since 2015. 
• The Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Ordinance has encouraged residents to reduce bag consumption by more than 50%. 
• All 14 Cambridge Public Schools now recycle and compost daily.
• Between 2011 & 2017, public area recycling on the street has quadrupled from 15 tons to 60 tons per year. 

“Cambridge’s waste diversion initiatives are among the best in New England, and we can’t thank our residents enough for doing their part to recycle and compost,” said Public Works Commissioner Owen O’Riordan. “We hope that residents will join us in celebrating ‘America Recycles Day’ and learn more about how they can help us meet our waste reduction goals.”

Residents are invited to celebrate by attending the following events throughout the week of 11/13:

• Monday 11/13/17 – Compost Questions & Free Compostable Bags at O'Neill Library, from 3-5 p.m., 70 Rindge Ave.
• Tuesday 11/14/17 – Recycling games and prizes at Cambridge Public Library, from 4-6 p.m., 449 Broadway
• Wednesday 11/15/17 – Recycling games and prizes outside Cambridge City Hall, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 795 Massachusetts Ave.
• Friday 11/17/17 – Recycling games and prizes at the Community Learning Center, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 5 Western Ave.

Want to learn more? Watch these short videos to see how simple recycling and composting can be!