*Sustainable Seekonk*

The Seekonk Recycling Committee would like to remind residents of all the great recycling and sustainability programs and resources we have available in town:

Christmas Trees: Will be picked up curbside by DPW for composting periodically throughout the month of January-please remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc.

It's a Wrap: Holiday Lights Recycling & Gift Wrap Workshop- Did you know that string lights should never go in any curbside bin because they tangle and damage machines? As you’re cleaning up after the holiday season, come to Seekonk Public Library for the program “It’s a Wrap: Holiday Lights Recycling & Gift Wrap Workshop” on Wednesday, January 24 at 6:30 PM. The Seekonk Recycling Committee is excited to bring this after-holidays sustainability workshop. Bring your broken string lights to this collection for shipping to a specific facility that handles the many types of valuable materials they contain. We'll also share ideas for reusable gift wrapping. Bring any fabric, tablecloths, napkins or scarves, or wrapping paper and boxes to prepare for gift giving all year! For event planning and to receive updates register in the online Events Calendar at www.seekonkpl.org/events. 

Calling all restaurants! Please consider asking customers if they need utensils, before placing them in every order. Also consider compostable utensils, and perhaps adding a compost collection bin to your restaurant. Black Earth and Bootstrap Compost both service the area and make it easy to arrange weekly or bi-weekly pickup of food waste-including napkins, and certified compostable utensils, cups and plates.

Don’t Trash It! Consider donating items that are still usable-Savers in North Attleboro has easy drive up drop off service, Angel’s Care Closet takes a wide variety of items or you can visit www.DONATIONTOWN.ORG  for a list of local services that will pickup items from your home. If items are broken or no longer usable, stores like Staples, Lowes, Home Depot and Best Buy take back all kinds of electronics, bulbs, ink/toner, batteries, cell phone cases, pens and markers and more. Use the Recycle Locator at CTA.tech website to find all your nearby options for electronics. If you’re interested in a town wide CURB ALERT day-where everyone can put out items for free and you can plan to drive around to “shop” for items you want or need, please reach out to the Recycling Committee, our Recycling Coordinator at DPW, or Sustainable Seekonk on Facebook.

Seekonk Transfer Station (TARF) is open year round Mon-Fri 8am-3pm for drop off of yard waste (leaves, grass, twigs). The next Bulky Waste day is March 9 2024-buy a pass at DPW for $25 to bring items that are too big to fit in blue bags/curbside trash bins. But please try to pass things along for reuse before trashing them! Bulky Waste pickup continues on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month for furniture and misc bulky items ($5), metal, electronic ($5) & appliance ($12.50) pickup is the 3rd Tuesday, and mattresses ($65) are the 3rd Wednesday. Buy stickers at DPW.

Got new Eye glasses? Old pairs of eye glasses (no cases!) are accepted the DPW for donation to Lions Club.

The Library of Things- did you know the Seekonk Library has way more than books? With things like karaoke machines, metal detectors, stud finders, instruments, cameras, computers & more, it's an amazing way to borrow what you need & save money!

Textile Recycling Bins- there are Bay State Textile collection bins at the DPW center & at all the schools. You can deposit used clothing, sheets, towels, pillows, stuffed animals, shoes and more at these bins-even if they're stained, ripped or worn out! Nothing wet or moldy, please!

Terracycle Recycling- the committee is collecting hundreds of everyday items that would normally end up in the trash because they cannot be recycled traditionally. Brands partner with Terracycle to offer these free programs to recycle items like pet food bags, toothbrushes, deodorant, air fresheners, coffee bags and more! Find the current list at www.Facebook.com/SustainableSeekonk  or at the DPW.

Batteries & Bulbs- did you know that the #1 cause of fires in trash collection programs is rechargeable batteries? The DPW has a collection bin for batteries-including cell phone batteries and other rechargeables or hazardous batteries. They also accept fluorescent light bulbs-including CFL bulbs and tubes under 4ft. These should never go in your curbside bins! Stores like Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy and Staples also accept most of these items as well. Single use-alkaline batteries, incandescent bulbs and LED bulbs can go in the trash.

Recycling Tip of The Month: Plastic bags should never go in your recycling bin-even the clear blue bags at the store marked “RECYCLING” Recycling should always be loose in your curbside bin-and only acceptable items: clean plastic containers (bottles, cups, jars, jugs), aluminum cans & pans, paper, and glass containers (jars, bottles, jugs)-Please remember to recycle right, and…. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle (in THAT order!)