Andover Banning More Items From Recycling Bins

ANDOVER, MA -- Department of Public Works officials will stop accepting greasy pizza boxes, shredded paper and No. 6 plastic, a material commonly used in disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases. This spring, China said it would extend a ban on certain recycled materials, and than ban is now trickling down to the local level. Andover officials are also urging residents to clean materials put into recycling bins, which can contaminate the recycling stream.

The ban on No. 6 plastic stems from decreased demand in the global market. Materials collected in Andover are sorted at a recycling facility in Billerica then sold to buyers who reuse the materials. Other items commonly found in Andover recycling bins that shouldn't be there include yard waste, food waste, plastic grocery bags and Styrofoam.

"The big issue we have seen over the past few years is people just not cleaning their containers," DPW Business Manager Sandy Gerraughty told selectmen last month. "When you put paper and cardboard in a bin with bottles that have liquid or other food containers, it gets on the paper product so that it just isn't a good commodity anymore."

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).