Newton is launching an educational campaign to encourage residents to clean up their recycling before putting it out on the curb, according to Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.聽The effort will include new decals on recycling bins designed by the state Department of Environmental Protection鈥檚 鈥淩ecycle Smart鈥� program to help remind people about which materials should go into the containers.
The city also is seeking volunteers for a data collection effort to better understand how these services are functioning and how they can improve, Fuller said in a June 10 statement.聽鈥淗elp us provide recycling education to reduce recycling contamination while getting some exercise and spending time outside,鈥� Fuller said. 鈥淸And] help us gather information that will inform decisions regarding Newton鈥檚 waste and recycling collection services.鈥�
The city began asking residents in 2018 to make sure not to put items into recycling bins that shouldn鈥檛 be there 鈥� such as plastic bags and utensils, shredded paper, wood, and Styrofoam, Fuller said in a statement. The city鈥檚 contract with Waste Management includes fines if Newton鈥檚 recycling is more than 10 percent contaminated. But with the help of residents, Newton has not paid fines for contaminated recycling since February 2019, she said.