Somerville Begins Single Stream Recycling This Week

This week marked the beginning of the city-wide implementation of Somerville's Single-Stream Recycling program. Single-stream recycling, which allows residents to dispose of all of their recyclable waste into one large bin without sorting, is designed to increase rates of recycling and make recycling more convenient for citizens. When single-stream recycling was tested in limited parts of Somerville last year, recycling rates increased nearly 60%, giving weight to the argument that single-stream encourages residents to recycle more. The City of Somerville expects to save money on its disposal costs through this program, as well.
 
The small bins that residents have used for their recycling in the past may either be kept or disposed of (the bins themselves are recyclable). To dispose of a bin, the City has asked that residents simply place it on top of their new recycling bin on trash pickup day.

All collection schedules will remain the same. Any questions about this program should be directed to Somerville's constituent services office, which can be reached by dialing 311.