Recycling, recycling, recycling was on the mind of former Barrington High School student Alex Caizzi throughout the summer and fall of 2019.

Alex, a junior at the time, was interning with the Barrington Department of Public Works under the supervision of DPW Director Alan Corvi and Barrington Resiliency Planner Kim Jacobs. His internship focused on how to improve recycling in Barrington. He conducted online research and discussed the recycling process with DPW staff as well staff from the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Center which manages both the state’s recycling and waste streams. 

Alex’s two key take-aways were this: One, we need to reduce and recycle to a greater degree, and two, we need to “recycle right.” And this month, Barrington residents will receive postcards that Alex helped create that explain how they can do their part to pitch in. 

Reduce and recycle to a greater degree 

Alex discovered that the Central Landfill in Johnston buries about 3,800 tons of trash daily and at this rate, is projected to reach capacity by 2034. 

He learned that the state can collectively expand the life of the landfill by reducing the waste stream. 

Alex said the task is not too difficult, but it does require a particular mindset. For example, people can choose to purchase less and reuse more rather than buy new; purchase products that come with less packaging or packaging that can be recycled; drink only from reusable cups/bottles; use reusable bags for groceries; go paperless as much as possible; consider opting out of junk mail; and compost food scraps.

Alex also discovered that when residents are not careful with their recycling habits, they can do more harm than good. 

Most communities in RI, including Barrington, participate in the RIRRC mixed-recycling curbside bin program. The RIRRC works hard to educate on what is allowed in curbside bins, but certain offenses seem persistent. The worst is the inclusion of plastic bags. While plastic bags can be recycled through many grocery store programs (or dropped off at the recycle center in Barrington), plastic bags cannot be recycled in the curbside bin. 

When residents place plastic bags, shredded paper, rope or other inappropriate items in their recycling bins, they run the risk of having an entire truckload of recycling rejected and sent to the landfill. 

In addition to loads being rejected as contaminated, loads can also be rejected if the recycle materials contain too much moisture. Excessively moist materials can create problems for the sorting equipment as well as mold issues. So, when it’s raining or snowing people should either cover their recycle bins or wait and put them out the following week.

In order to help the community better understand the limits of the curbside recycling program, Alex created a Recycle Right Postcard as part of his internship. Last year the town applied for and was awarded an RIRRC grant to help fund the postcard’s printing and distribution. The postcard will be distributed to the Barrington community the first week of June in celebration of World Environment Day (June 5). 

It is Alex’s hope that the postcard will have a positive impact on increasing recycling efforts as well as decreasing the number of rejected loads.

Mr. Corvi said he is excited about Alex’s postcard and encourages the community to keep the Recycle Right Postcard - which focuses on the curbside bin program - on a refrigerator or in a kitchen drawer so residents can refer to it if they have questions. 

“If you have an item that cannot be recycled in the curbside program, look for another program where it can be recycled or put it in the trash – but please don’t put it in your recycle bin,” stated a press release. “The community needs to understand that when a contaminated or excessively moist load gets rejected, the entire load is sent to the Central Landfill, which mitigates the attentive recycling of the many and also costs the town around $800 depending on the weight of the load.”

Other recycling programs

Many items that are not allowed in the curbside bin program, can still be recycled through other programs. 

At the Recycling Center in Barrington, people can drop off a number of items that are not allowed in the curbside program including: used cooking vegetable oil, motor oil and oil filters, mattresses, and clean/dry plastic bags. 

Please refer to the DPW’s webpage for a complete list of what the Recycling Center accepts and their hours (https://www.barrington.ri.gov/public-works). 

If you have items that are not recyclable through either the Barrington Recycling Center or curbside bin program, the RIRRC website is a good resource to help determine where other items can be recycled.