Wachusett Earthday

Our mission is to promote recycling and reuse for a healthy watershed community through the Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycle CenterWe are an all-volunteer, non-profit corporation offering Wachusett residents a place to re-use, recycle or dispose of household items. Interested in volunteering? Let us know!

Wachusett Earthday has an on-going partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and seven Wachusett towns: Boylston, Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Sterling, and West Boylston.

History

Wachusett Earthday began in 1992 in Holden and grew to include seven Wachusett Towns. Volunteers held collections twice yearly until spring 2006 including recycling, household hazardous products and swap items (and roadside cleanups). From 1992 thru May 2006 Wachusett Earthday held 28 collections with the support of the Wachusett Towns. The DCR was also an early supporter for the household hazardous products collections. The number of households served at each collection grew from less than 100 to more than 1000 per collection.

Following the spring 2006 collection, the Wachusett Earthday team leaders voted to pursue a year round regional collection. Discussions with Town leaders, the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, the MA Department of Environmental Protection and Wachusett Earthday leaders were held.

Wachusett Earthday became a 501(c)3 non-profit, all-volunteer group and elected its first board of directors in 2008. The DEP provided a two-year site development grant. The DCR also became a major partner in the project, providing the use of the land and Partnership Matching Grants for developing the Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycling Center.

The Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycle Center opened in 2010 as a regional partnership of Wachusett Earthday, the DCR and the seven towns of Boylston, Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Sterling and West Boylston.

In 2013 the Recycled Resource building was completed to provide free items for education, arts or household use. The Recycled Resource building incorporates the former Recycle Center, established in the 1990s by Karen Shapiro at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, MA. The Recycle Center (then resurrected by Wachusett Earthday) moved to several Holden locations before closing at Oriol Health Care in 2010.

Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycle Center is operated by Wachusett Earthday volunteers.

Household hazardous products such as paints, chemicals, pesticides, pool chemicals, motor oil and antifreeze are collected on the third Saturday of April, June, September and November for a fee. Free document shredding is offered on the third Saturday of March, May and October.

Items We Accept

Wachusett Earthday accepts a large variety of items for recycling, reuse or disposal. Some are accepted without a fee but others require a fee in order to offset our disposal costs.  Household Hazardous Products, including Paints, Chemicals and Pesticides,  require special handling – and are therefore only accepted on special collection days (3rd Saturday of April, June, September & November from 8 a.m. to Noon)**.

• all batteries
• mercury thermometers and other mercury items
• fluorescent tubes
• returnable ‘deposit’ cans and bottles
• bicycles
• cell phones
• glass containers
• metal cans
• styrofoam clean and in clear plastic bags
• paper and cardboard
• plastics #1 — #7
• small to medium bulky rigid plastic items
• Textiles including shoes, belts, single socks etc. (rips or stains ok, but no wet or mildew)