Recycling
Recycling is mandatory in Cambridge. Cambridge has single-stream recycling and accepts many materials including paper, plastic, glass, metal, etc. Blue recycling bins may be found in the common house and in the trash enclosures on the East End and West End. See the brochure posted on the door of the recycling room (basement of common house) for details of what can be recycled and what cannot.
In addition, you will see small, blue boxes, in which you should place any returnables that you don’t feel like bringing back to the store. We have regular gleaners who collect these items and return them for money.
Other items that are not recycled weekly should be taken to the Cambridge Department of Public Works (DPW). Some items such as dead batteries may be placed in the recycling room and members of the LLP Committee take this material to the Center from time to time.
Please note – plastic bags should NOT be placed in the blue recycling bins, and all cardboard must be broken down and tied or taped into 3' by 3' square. If you do not break down and tape your boxes, then one of your neighbors will have to do it when they take out the recycling.
For more information about recycling in Cambridge, please go to the city website, at http://www.cambridgema.gov/recycle.
Trash
Trash may be placed in the trash bins at the East and West End enclosures. DPW sends out brochures explaining what items may be placed out on trash day (e.g. furniture) and what must be thrown out only during special times (e.g. hazardous waste is collected four times a year).
Trash and recycling are placed out on the sidewalk between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Sunday evening to be picked up Monday morning. If Monday is a holiday then the trash is placed out Monday night to be picked up Tuesday morning.
Common House and West End. There is a rotation schedule for taking out the trash for households in the Common House and West End. You sign up to put out the trash in manner similar to the meal sign up except that that there is a requirement of three sign ups per member per cycle. There is a list of substitutes whom you can hire to do trash duty in your stead. Teenagers are expected to take a turn as well. The trash barrels and recycling bins are always taken back in by the team in unit 108.
East End. In the East End there is a team of gnomes who get the barrels out by magic but who can always use help. There is a schedule just inside the entrance of the East End stacked flats.
If you have questions about putting out trash, contact the trash coordinator(s) (see Grounds Go-To list).
Hazardous Waste
Cambridge offers household hazardous waste drop-off collections about three times per year. The schedule, location and guidelines are on the Cambridge city website.
(Rowena Conkling, Leslie Liu, 2005; revisions Cindy Carpenter-Winch 2012)