Massachusetts recycles 36,630 tons of material

Seventy-seven western Massachusetts municipalities recycled a total of 36,630 tons of paper, plastic, metals and glass from July 2009 through June 2010, with the municipalities receiving $1.14 million in payments for the recyclables delivered.

The recyclables were processed at the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), a public facility owned by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and operated by Waste Management Recycle America (WMRA).

The pricing for recyclable commodities remained high for the entire fiscal year, allowing for a revenue share each month. The average revenue share over the 12 month period was approximately $39 per ton. Paper is recycled into hardcover book board and game board at the Newark Paperboard Mill in Fitchburg. Plastics are sold to companies that make them into fiberfill, recycling bins, buckets and new bottles.

“In the more than two decades it’s been in operation, the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility has kept nearly two billion pounds of solid waste out of landfills and incinerators, repurposing materials for myriad new uses while saving energy and water and providing revenue for cities and towns,” said energy and environmental affairs secretary Ian Bowles, whose office includes MassDEP.