Kids & Family

Wayland Recycling Goes Single Stream on Saturday

The change is expected to save Wayland money while making the transfer station process

Visitors to the Saturday might not notice a change immediately, but they certainly will when it comes time to drop off their recycling.

Beginning Saturday, residents can stop separating their recyclables into glass; comingled plastic, cans and foil; and paper and cardboard. Thanks to an agreement with a new processing company, Casella Waste Systems, all those items can go in a single bin come Saturday.

"It's a win-win for us and the company," said Donnie Gladu, the senior foreman at the transfer station.

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As part of the new agreement, Casella will provide the Wayland Transfer Station with a baler for the many plastic grocery bags currently recycled at the station. With the baler, the transfer station can more easily collect the plastic bags and package them in such a way as to make money on them rather than paying to have them hauled away.

The plastic bags can be re-processed to create a composite material that is used in a variety of products including the park bench at the center of the transfer station.

Find out what's happening in Waylandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Nothing is changing," Gladu said he wants to assure residents. "The recycling is still being separated -- it's just not being done here."

Casella operates a system known as Zero-Sort Recycling. Most items, including all types of paper and many kinds of rigid plastic among many other items, can go in a single bin in the Zero-Sort system. The company asks that all containers be rinsed and free of food.

Wayland Transfer Station customers will still have the option to return their bottles and cans for deposit as well as to recycle their batteries. Nothing will change when it comes to disposing of trash.

Ultimately new signage will direct people to place all their other recyclables in a single bin, but when the single-stream system begins this Saturday, people will use either the paper/cardboard bin or the containers (plastic, cans and foil) bin for all their recyclables.


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