Yes...it is a law in Southbridge to recycle, and although it is not a law statewide as of yet, there are recycling laws and legislation in Massachusetts.  Let me give you the Town By-Law, that appears to me, is not being enforced or even considered by our Board of Health.  If you read at the very end of this you will see that out of 351 Communities in Massachusetts only 168 have adopted a Mandatory Recycling Program, I am proud to say we are amongst the 168 Communities to do this.

It appears to me all our Board of Health is stuck on is "Sticking It" to Casella Waste Systems.  Time for a review of what is going on with the Board of Health. 

I will say this, the SMART Cart Program, which I was a supporter of from the beginning, would have worked with our By-Laws. I will put out there too, one of the members of our Board of Health didn't even know it was in our Town By-Laws that Land Lords are REQUIRED to provide their tenants with containers that are covered for garbage, and that the tenants are also responsible for their garbage being in such containers.

How can our Board of Health even work if they don't know the By-Laws of the very town they are protecting?  It is NOT all about that DAMN Landfill and Casella people!  The Board of Health are supposed to be working for the betterment of our town and the people who live here, well they need to KNOW the By-Laws too and work for ALL the people, not just those who don't want the Landfill or Casella around.

10-201.1 Declaration of Intent- There is hereby established a program for the mandatory separation of certain recyclable material from garbage or rubbish by the residents of the Town of Southbridge and the collection of these recyclables at the residents' curbside. The collection of separated recyclables shall be made periodically under the supervision of the Town Manager or the Town Manager’s designee.

10-201.2 Rules and Regulations – The collection of recyclable materials shall be made in conformity with standards and procedures established by the Board of Health to protect the public health, and in consultation with the Town Manager.

the scope of the proposed action to be taken sufficient for public understanding; the first publication of such notice to be not less than 14 days before the day of the hearing. The Board of Health shall provide the Town Manager and Director of Public Works with copies of such proposed amendments or revisions at least 14 days before the day of the hearing. CODE OF BY-LAWS TOWN OF SOUTHBRIDGE Effective: March 13, 2007 Page 103

Here is a link you can follow to see Frequently Asked Questions on "Recycling in Massachusetts" - here is an excerpt of what I found recycling:

Is it the law in Massachusetts to recycle?⁷
There is no statewide mandatory recycling law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; however there are many other types of recycling laws and legislation in Massachusetts:

Waste Bans prohibit the disposal of certain recyclable items at solid waste landfills and incinerators in Massachusetts.  Banned items include: lead acid batteries, leaves, yard waste, whole tires (landfill only), white goods (large appliances), metal and glass containers, single resin narrow-necked plastics, recyclable paper, cathode ray tubes (monitors and televisions), asphalt pavement, bricks, concrete, metal and wood.

The Bottle Bill requires glass, plastic, metal, aluminum and bi-metal containers holding beer and other malt beverages, carbonated soft drinks and mineral waters to carry a deposit label before they are sold.  Consumers can return the bottles to receive their deposit. The bottle bill has been an excellent tool in reducing litter and increasing the recycling rate of bottle bill containers.

In addition to the laws, there are many statewide goals and policies related to recycling and source reduction.  The Beyond 2000 Solid Waste Master Plan  establishes the Commonwealth's long-term goals for solid waste management and basic policies for waste reduction, recycling, and disposal for the next decade.

Although there is not a statewide recycling law, many communities have passed their own recycling laws.  Of the 351 Massachusetts communities, 168 of them have voluntarily adopted mandatory recycling ordinances, bylaws, or regulations. Most of these local requirements regulate single-family residences or those served by the municipal collection programs. A growing number of municipalities are also regulating multi-family properties and businesses.

Ninety-two municipalities have elected to regulate solid waste haulers. Massachusetts General Law c.111 sections 31A and 31B authorize local boards of health to issue permits to solid waste haulers that transport trash through the municipality. Through this authority, boards of health can promulgate rules and regulations regarding the removal and transportation of solid waste. Many that permit or license haulers add a recycling requirement to the permit conditions. 




http://www.massrecycle.org/faqs.html


Have any questions, you should call the Health Director, Recycling Coordinator or the Town Manager at the Town Hall and speak to them about recycling in Southbridge...