Terracycle "Zero Waste Boxes" are here and ready for use

Last year we won an Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Sustainable & Resilient New England Libraries grant to purchase Terracycle™  "Zero Waste Boxes” to be housed at the library, and they have arrived! The boxes are currently located in the hallway between the Community Room and the Friends' Donation Center.

This project gives the public the opportunity to recycle things that are difficult, or impossible, to recycle otherwise.  Each receptacle has signage stating what it is collecting along with details about what can be included and what cannot be placed in them.

Which Terracycle boxes are at the library?

The following are the boxes that we have purchased. Please use the descriptions on Terracycle's website to determine which items you can bring in and deposit. This information is also provided on the signage on each box:

• All Your Waste (used to be called the All-in-One Box)

• "Break Room"

• Plastic Packaging

• Art Supplies

• Shipping Materials

• Toys

• E-Waste

• Garage Separation

• Pens, Pencils and Markers

• Candy and Snack Wrappers

• Battery Bucket *

• Alkaline Only Battery Bucket (located near the Reference Desk)*

*Non-corroded batteries only!

*Please consult this in-depth Terracycle guide for more specific details

about what each box category accepts.* (Also available in print at the library).

Additional Terracycle Guidance:

Please peruse these dos and don'ts before you bring items in:

• Look at the categories and their descriptions - using the Terracycle links above (or read the signage on the boxes once you arrive).

• Leave out any materials that are accepted at the Town's Transfer Station or picked up by most trash pick-up services, even if they fit into a box category. We'd like to reserve the space for items that cannot be recycled elsewhere.

  These include:

  • Plastic bottles with "necks"

  • Paper, Cardboard

  • Aluminum, Steel

  • Glass

  • See this Transfer Station guide for a more comprehensive list of what can be recycled by the municipality, and also this infographic for Massachusetts-specific guidelines.

• We cannot take oversized items here in the library, even if they match the description of what the boxes accept. For example, art easels, car seats, dollhouses or skis, among other large items would not fit in the containers!

And don't hesitate to ask staff if you have any additional questions, or email Kira at kwilliams@cwmars.org.

And thank you for giving new life to your old things!