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Date: 5/1/2023
EASTHAMPTON — Mayor Nicole LaChappelle considers the April 1 installation of a textile recycling bin outside City Hall at 50 Payson Ave. another step in Easthampton’s “cutting edge” and comprehensive approach to addressing climate change.
For example, on Oct. 14, 2021, the City Council adopted a comprehensive recycling ordinance that banned the use of many modern everyday household items, such as single-use, disposable plastic bags, single-use Styrofoam and other non-recyclable containers for take-out food and single-use plastic straws and other take-out utensils that were nor recyclable or compostable. The ordinance went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. The city is now working on “actionable steps” to implement more electric vehicle use in Easthampton, according to LaChappelle, in an effort to increase its move towards sustainability.
The textile recycling bin installation reflects a change in Massachusetts state recycling ordnances, which prohibits disposal of textiles in household or commercial trash and requires that these materials be recycled. That ordinance also went into effect on Jan. 1.
“We think that we are on the forefront of this. We like taking action where we are very conscious,” said LaChappelle of the bin installation, which was coordinated by Executive Assistant Lindsi Mailer and DPW Director Greg Nuttleman in conjunction with the Red Cross. “Let’s take a step forward for something our residents have asked for.”
Textile items that can be recycled in the City Hall bin include clothing, footwear, accessories and household linens such as towels, curtains and blankets. Items will be processed by the Red Cross for reuse or recycling, depending on their condition.
LaChapelle said this move to meet a new recycling need “comes from trying to do a more thorough and comprehensive recycling ordinance” that will eventually help residents and businesses find recycling solutions for everything “from motor oil to egg cartons.”
LaChappelle said it’s “easy to write policy” but, referring to the take-out container portion of the Oct 14, 2021 recycling ordinance, said it’s often harder to put that policy into practice.
She noted the city might have been overly ambitious in implementing the takeout food container ordinance before businesses were fully ready but “now we have a way to recycle because the commercial [food] containers are compostable.” LaChappelle added, “We are trying to keep up with education and what we can reliably provide for our residents.”