Dive Brief:

• The town of Saugus, MA is building a Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) that will accept items year-round that aren't accepted in curbside bins, such as electronics and unrecyclable plastics.
• The compost and recycling center behind Department of Public Works on Main St. will be closed every Wednesday from Aug. 5 to Sept. 9 in order to repurpose the space for the recycling expansion. 
• Officials hope that the convenience of CHaRM — which is the first facility of its kind in Massachusetts — will prevent recyclable materials from showing up in the municipal waste stream. 

Dive Insight:

Last year, Saugus recycled 3.5 million pounds of material, so the town of fewer than 27,000 residents is doing something right. Expanding the recycling program and designating one spot to drop off compost and hard-to-recycle items is a convenience for residents, allowing for even further improvement of the town's recycling rate. A similar expansion was recently announced in Indiana. 

The Department of Environmental Protection has been encouraging and supporting the construction of the CHaRM facility, according to Town Manager Scott Crabtree.

“Unlike a transfer station, this facility is designed to be a one-stop drop-off center that can accept a wider range of items for recycling than our traditional curbside program can," said Crabtree. The wider range of items — such as electronic waste and tires —will not include traditional recycling items like paper and plastic. Such traditional items will still be picked up at curbside weekly.