“Where does it all go?” Part 4: Beyond the transfer station

By Alice Waugh

Not everything you’re done using can be recycled, of course, but here are some destinations for recycling or repurposing items that the Lincoln transfer station doesn’t handle, as well as additional places for things it does accept. The DPW’s transfer station website also has links on the left-hand side of the page with more information about where things can be recycled inside and outside the transfer station.

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Also in this series:

• Part 5: The 5 R’s, and some numbers
• Part 3: Recycling beyond single-stream
• Part 2: Trash
• Part 1: Single-stream recycling

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Plastic bags and wraps

These should never be put in the single-stream recycling bin because they are not recyclable with other plastics and they get tangled up in the sorting machinery, but you can recycle them in the large white cylindrical bins at most grocery stores or simply throw them in the trash.

Recycled plastic bags and wraps (soft and flexible that you can stretch) are sold to companies that make composite “lumber” for decks, benches, playground sets, etc. The bags can also be reprocessed into small pellets, which can be made into new bags, pallets, containers, crates, and pipe. Items in this category that are recyclable include:

• Single-use grocery bags
• Product wrap around cases of water/soda bottles as well as single-use towels, napkins, plates, toilet paper, diapers, etc.
• Food bags from bread, potatoes, produce, etc. (must be clean and dry)
• Plastic box liners (but not if they tear like paper)
• Dry-cleaning and newspaper bags
• Plastic mailing envelopes (must have paper labels removed)
• Zip-top food storage bags
• Air pillows that protect items in mailed cardboard boxes
• Plastic that’s wrapped around new electronics and other consumer items
• Bubble wrap
• Any film packaging or bag that has the How2Recycle Label

Plastic bags that are not recyclable include (ironically enough) compostable bags and those containing pre-washed salad mix, frozen food, and candy bars/chips/snacks. Learn more about what happens to plastic bags, where you can recycle them, and what’s recyclable in that category. 

Construction debris and building materials

Click here for a short list of companies that will take construction debris as well as appliances and household trash. C. Carney Environmental in Raynham also accepts some types of demolition debris for recycling.

Several charities and nonprofit organizations accept donations of old cabinets, counters, doors, windows, and other discarded building materials that can still be used.

Hazardous waste

Latex paint cans, button batteries, and alkaline batteries can be tossed in the regular trash. Oil-based paints, solvents, chemicals, medical waste, pesticides, and explosives are some of the items that can be brought to the Minuteman Hazardous Products Facility at 60 Hartwell Ave. in Lexington, which holds collection days for several area towns several times a year. The next collection days will be September 18, October 15, and November 5. Residents must preregister to be able to drop off items on those days. Click here for more information or call the Board of Health at 781-259-2613.

Books and media

The transfer station has a mini-swap shed for books and other media as well as a bin where residents can drop books off for resale to benefit the Friends of the Lincoln Library (see “Where does it all go?” Part 3: Recycling beyond single-stream”). Another local beneficiary of donated books is More Than Words, a Waltham program that trains and employs at-risk youth in its $4 million book-selling business. They accept donations of books, DVDs, video games and gently used clothing at their headquarters at 56 Felton St. in Waltham or one of their donation bins in the greater Boston area. Not accepted: textbooks over 10 years old, encyclopedias, VHS tapes, audio cassettes, or magazines. They will also do pickup for donors with eight or more boxes of books and/or clothing.

Bookscouter.com has suggestions for where to resell or donate used textbooks.

Housewares and furniture

Household Goods in Acton accepts items to furnish homes for those who are recently homeless, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, low income, immigrants, victims of disaster, or are coping with illness or disability. They accept items in good condition including:

• Dressers, tables, chairs, and other furniture
• Mattresses and bed frames
• Dishes, flatware, and kitchen items
• Sheets, towels, and other bed linens

Among the items they don’t accept: toys, sports equipment, office furniture, etc. Click here for a detailed list of what you can and can’t donate. Donations can be dropped off at their headquarters at 530 Main St. in Acton (978-635-1710) on Tuesdays, Thursdays  and Saturdays from 9 a.m.–noon without an appointment. 

ReStore (part of Habitat for Humanity) in West Roxbury and Ashland also accepts donations of home and office furniture, appliances, building materials, exercise equipment, and more.

Clothing

In addition to the Red Cross and Bay State Textiles bins at the transfer station (see “Where does it all go?” Part 3: Recycling beyond single-stream”), residents can drop off donated clothing and shoes in the nonprofit Planet Aid bin at Tracey’s Service Station on Bedford Road and Route 2. Other options:

• Dress for Success (Boston)
• Global Thrift (Waltham)
• On the Rise (Cambridge)
• Goodwill (multiple locations)
• Salvation Army (multiple locations)

Used stuffed animals and toys

Many organizations only accept new stuffed animals , but Stuffed Animals for Emergencies, Donation Town, Ronald McDonald House, homeless shelters, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and some hospitals will accept used items that adhere to cleanliness guidelines that vary from you to group. For more information, click here or here. 

Yard waste

Brush, leaves, grass clippings, Christmas trees, etc., can be brought to the DPW yard at 30 Lewis St. during normal business hours and on the first Saturday of each month between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Brush and yard waste is limited to material generated by normal residential activity; waste from larger-scale land clearing, etc., is not accepted. Use of the DPW yard is limited to residents with a transfer station sticker. Due to space limitations, residents are limited to three trips per month. Click here for more information.

The DPW yard also offers some materials back to the community for free, including compost, wood chips, and firewood at the DPW (call 781-259-8999 to check on availability). The department also has a small sand shed where residents can shovel a sand/salt mixture into buckets to take home to spread on outdoor walks and steps.

Tires

Tires are not accepted as either trash or recycling and should not appear at the transfer station at all. Old tires are usually replaced at a commercial garage or repair shop, which charges the customer a small fee to dispose of them. If you have tires at home that you need to get rid of, call Doherty’s or another service station.