Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The city will take your tree from the curb, but only for two weeks in January.
You may not be ready yet to put an end to the holidays, but your tree must be taken down and go out for composting during the first two full weeks of January, or you'll be stuck disposing of it on your own. The Boston Public Works Department announced this week that workers will collect Christmas trees for composting in Charlestown from Jan. 7-18. To get your tree ready for removal, make sure to take off all ornaments, decorations and stands and place your tree on the curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling day. Do not put trees in plastic bags. Don't forget to recycle your holiday cards, catalogs and wrapping paper as well. And don't forget these recycling tips for LED lights and other holiday items.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Legislators decide to take the bottle bill amendment out of the jobs act.
The bottle bill will not make it to the governor's desk this year. The controversial proposal was included as an amendment to the Senate jobs bill but scrapped Monday in conference committee, according to an aide to its sponsor, Sen. Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth). The jobs bill is expected to be laid before Gov. Deval Patrick Tuesday, the last day of the legislative session. The amendment had faced strong opposition in the House, with Speaker Robert DeLeo describing it as a tax. Hedlund disputed this view, saying that taxes can't be redeemed. The expansion to the 31-year-old law designed to promote recycling and reduce litter would have added plastic bottles used for water, juices, iced tea and sports drinks to the list of containers …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Included as an amendment to a bigger jobs bill, the update would expand the bottle redemption law to include plastic bottles used for water and juice.
House and Senate leaders started debating Wednesday whether to include an expanded bottle deposit amendment in a bill designed to spur job creation. The bill was passed in the Senate Thursday and is now being hashed out in a conference committee comprised of member of both chambers. Gov. Deval Patrick has said that he supports it. But the House has fought passage of an expanded bottle bill, which Speaker Robert DeLeo and others in the House view as a tax. But Sen. Robert Hedlund disputes this view, saying that taxes can't be redeemed. The expansion to the 31-year-old law designed to promote recycling and reduce litter would add plastic bottles used for water, juices, iced tea and sports drinks to the list of containers subject to the 5-…
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Where would recycling bins do the most good?
Boston's about to add 400 solar-powered recycling compactors across the city, but they won't go everywhere. City officials said the bins will go in high-traffic area and not necessarily in residential blocks. And they won't go into parks because the bins have advertising on their sides. What do you think? If you were in charge of placing these bins in the neighborhood, where would they go? Tell us in the comments below.
Friday, July 20, 2012
The city will install 400 new solar powered trash compactors to promote recycling, but they won't be in residential areas.
Next month, the city will install 400 new solar powered trash compactors to promote recycling in Boston. But chances are they won’t be anywhere near your Charlestown home. The Big Belly compactors will go in “high traffic areas” such as Downtown Crossing and Fenway, but they won’t line residents’ streets—at least not at first. It’s also likely they’ll be kept out of public parks due to the advertisements on the cans, which is part of a bartering agreement that allows the city to have the barrels for free. “How do we expand this into the neighborhoods?” At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo asked during a public hearing on Tuesday. “I think everybody knows where the Big Bellies will end up.” A big step toward city-wide single stream …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
With the continuing decrease in federal funding for affordable housing.
Would you tolerate more advertising in the city if it meant convenient recycling receptacles on city sidewalks? That’s what Councilor at-large Felix Arroyo proposed Wednesday at this week’s Boston City Council meeting. Arroyo said he recently visited Chicago, where he found recycling bins positioned with street trash cans. Upon further investigation, he said, he found out that the bins were provided and cleaned by a private company at no cost to the city. In exchange, the company places family-friendly advertising on the bins. He called it a “no brainer” to bring this kind of program to Boston—whether it be with the company that operates in Chicago or with another firm. The council supported the idea, which has been referred to committee, …
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Officials with Boston Public Schools are looking for a vendor that could bring single-stream recycling to the district this year.
Boston Public Schools are switching to single-stream recycling this year to decrease their overall waste. With single-stream recycling, students, teachers and other school staff wouldn’t have to sort paper from cardboard from plastic. Instead, they would be able to put all recyclable materials in one container. Phoebe Beierle, a UTC Center for Green Schools fellow, will work with the district for three years to implement recycling and other environmental programs at the schools. She said most city schools would have the new recycling system by November. The city started distributing 64-gallon "Big Blue" recycling carts at houses and small apartment buildings in July 2009. “They’re doing it in their homes,” Beierle said of the public school…
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The City Council says Boston could save hundreds of thousands of dollars by not sending city employees paper copies of their direct deposit paychecks.
Boston could be one step closer to being the least wasteful city in the country if its administrators take the City Council’s advice about reducing paper use at City Hall. The council is recommending the city send its 16,000 full-time employees electronic copies of their paychecks. District 6 Councilor Matt O’Malley proposed the resolution and it won a unanimous vote on Wednesday at the regular council meeting. “It’s a huge environmental waste, and it’s also a waste of energy and time,” O’Malley said about generating paper receipts for the paychecks the city deposits directly into bank accounts. Employees who wish to receive a paper receipt of their paycheck would still be able to under the proposal, O’Malley explained. But if most …
Bette Task
9:34 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2012
This is outrageous! more ›