Household Hazardous Waste Day in Beverly Open to Salem Residents

March 24, 8:00 a.m. to noon, Beverly High School

Since July 2009 the Cities of Salem and Beverly have partnered to offer each City’s residents the opportunity to participate in both a fall and spring hazardous waste program. The next such household hazardous waste day will take place at Beverly High School, March 24, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Residents from both communities can drop off hazardous materials with a payment of $20.

Residents can drop off general hazardous waste materials such as light bulbs, automotive oil, pesticides, oil-based paint, motor oil and car batteries, rechargeable batteries, propane tanks, tires and aerosol cans. A driver’s license is required to prove residency. No e-waste will be collected on March 24 at Beverly High School.

Please note that this household hazardous waste collection day had previously been scheduled and announced for April 24. It will no longer take place on April 24 and, instead, take place on March 24.

Additional information on waste collection can be found at  https://www.salem.com/recycling-and-trash.

2018 Free Book Swap!

Salem Recycles is holding another Free Book Swap on Saturday, March 17, 10:00 AM -1:00 PM at the Salem Council on Aging Building at 5 Broad Street. It is a great opportunity to recycle old books, CDs, DVDs, VCR tapes, and greeting cards. You can "swap, drop off, take away, or both!
If you have a lot of items, you can drop them off early on Friday March 16, from 5:00 PM till 7:00 PM, or Saturday, March 17 from 9:45 AM till noontime.
All left-over materials will be donated or recycled.
It's the same great free event they have been holding for years. If you haven't ever been, go and see what evryone's been raving about.
For additional information call 978-619-5679 or go online to https://www.salem.com/recycling-and-trash/news/sustainablerecycling-events

Please Don't Do This

Two items/ reminders.

Do not park motorcycles, scooters, bicycles or anything else on the dumpster side of the building. The dumpster-side driveway is for short term parking only. Parking things like scooters here impedes temporary automobile parking by taking up space in an already small area.  There is some parking available for scooters, and motorcycles on the E-market side of the building. Contact Markwood if you have questions about this.
 

You need to break down your cardboard so that it fits inside the containers. Cut it with a knife, tear it, fold it in half but do not place cardboard on the ground outside of the recycling containers.

It is extremely lame. If it rains it makes a soggy mess, and the recycling company will not take items that are not actually in the recycling containers. Perhaps you were expecting someone else to do it for you? That is not a service we provide. 

SalemRecycles' Free Book Swap

Saturday, September 16 at 10 AM - 1 PM
At the Salem Council on Aging
5 Broad St, Salem, Massachusetts 01970

It's that time of year again! The Fall Book Swap is on Saturday, September 16 at the Senior Center, 5 Broad Street, Salem, MA. "Swapping" isn't necessary -- feel free to drop off, take away, or both!

BOOKS, CDs & DVDs, VCR TAPES, GREETING CARDS.
Thank you for donating only clean, dry, mildew-free items.
All leftover material will be donated or recycled.

REUSABLE BAG SWAP.
Have excess reusable / cloth bags at home? Bring them to the Swap for others to take as needed.

NO EARLY DROP OFFS.
Drop off times are:
• Friday, September 15, 4:00pm - 7:00pm
• Saturday, September 16, 9:00am - noon (swap starts 10AM)

For more info or to volunteer, contact Julie Rose at jrose@salem.com or (978) 619-5679.

City of Salem Expands Bulky Trash Item Collection Options

The City of Salem is expanding the bulky trash item collection options available to residents.

• Effective immediately, Salem residents can schedule two bulky items for collection by Waste Management at a time. Bulky items will continue to be collected on your recycling collection week only. To schedule a bulky item collection, you must call Waste Management at 800-972-4545 at least 48 hours in advance of your scheduled recycling pick up.

• For the month of May, an additional bulky item disposal dumpster will be available for use at the Salem Transfer Station on Swampscott Road, Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proof of residency or property ownership is required, and you will be asked to sign in.  There is a limit of two items per person, per weekend. Construction debris will not be accepted.

For additional information or if you have questions, please call the City of Salem Recycling & Trash Office at 978-619-5679.

MARCH- Free Book Swap!

 If you live at 24 Norman Street and love books, you will want to save this date! The next Free Book Swap is Saturday, March 18 at the Council on Aging, 5 Broad Street, Salem, MA. "Swapping" isn't necessary -- feel free to drop off, take away, or both!

They will take BOOKS, CDs & DVDs, VCR TAPES, and GREETING CARDS.
All leftover material will be donated or recycled.

REUSABLE BAG SWAP.
Have excess reusable / cloth bags at home? Bring them to the Swap for others to take as needed.

GOT LOTS OF ITEMS? You can drop off ahead of time.
Drop off times are:
* Friday, March 17, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
* Saturday, March 18, 9:45am - noon

For more info or to volunteer, visit salem.com/recycling or call (978) 619-5679.

Free Book Swap!

Salem Recycles is sponsoring another Free Book Swap! This is a great opportunity to unload all your unwanted Books, CDs & DVDs, VCR Tapes, and even Greeting Cards. (This is so much better than dumping them in the laundry room).
There is no "Swap" necessary!
You can DROP OFF, TAKE AWAY or BOTH!
The date is:
SATURDAY, SEPT. 17
10 AM- 1PM 
SALEM SENIOR CENTER
5 Broad Street
If you've got lots of items? No problem!
Drop-off times for large loads of stuff are

Friday, September 16, 
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Saturday, September 17
9:45am-12:00 noon

All left-over materials will be donated or recycled.
For additional information visit
salem.com/recycling or call
978-619-5679

Clothing and Household Swap and Drop

It's spring (believe it or not) and time to clean out all that unwanted stuff!
Instead of leaving it in the laundry room or throwing it in the dumpster, why not bring your clothing and household discards to the Salem Recycles Clothing and Household Swap 'N' Drop being held on Salem Common, Saturday, May 7th? The event is from 10:00 AM til 1:00 PM with swapping going on between 10 and 12. Swap or simply drop off: women's men's and children's clothing, accessories, and small household items (please all in working order) Textiles can be in any condition but must be Clean and Dry.
Items not swapped will be picked up by RECYCLE THAT.
In addition , you may bring your plastic bags for recycling.
The event is sponsored by SalemRecycles, the city's volunteer recycling committee.
For more information visit salem.com/recycling, or greensalem.com, or call 978-619-5679

Pay Attention to Recycling Issues or Pay Fines

As the new single-point recycling program continues to roll out, we are experiencing some ongoing issues. We need to address these as a community or there will be consequences: i.e. fines from the city of Salem, which will be progressively increasing as violations continue. It is important to note that these fines will eventually be passed on to you in the form of increased condo fees. Here are some examples of the RECYCLING ISSUES YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO:

1. CONTAINERS WITH FOOD IN THEM.
The plastic bottle in the picture below is still full of juice. This is not OK.
RECYCLED MATERIALS CANNOT CONTAIN FOOD.
Empty and wash the containers before you put them in the bin.

2. PIZZA BOXES (CONTAINERS WITH FOOD ON THEM).
The one in the photo had cheese and pizza sauce all over the inside of it . You cannot recycle pizza boxes if they have cheese or sauce on them. Throw them in the dumpster.

3. NOT BREAKING DOWN CARDBOARD BOXES
This has been a major problem. You need to break down boxes until they are COMPLETELY FLAT. If you don't, we run out of space in the containers very quickly, (they only get picked up every 2 weeks) the containers overflow or don't close, and this allows rain and snow to get in, and the wind to blow stuff around the property and into the street.

It is not difficult to break down a box. It takes an extra 30 seconds. Go to the hardware store. Buy a utility knife. Remove any and all packing materials (foam, bubble-wrap, etc.) from the box you are breaking down. Use the knife to cut the seams on your box and flatten it completely. Put it in the recycling bin. Make sure that it actually fits into the bin.
Now, isn't that simple?

4. PLASTIC BAGS 
Do not use them for recycling. Do not put recyclable items into plastic bags and them put them in the bins. Do not put plastic bags of any kind into the recycling bins. This includes shopping bags, green plastic trash bags and white plastic trash bags. Paper bags are OK.
DO NOT PUT PLASTIC BAGS IN RECYCLING.

Please put some effort into this. No one is going to do this for you. It won't take a lot of extra time, and will save us all money. If you have questions please contact the Markwood office. Thank you. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE about TRASH & RECYCLING

You may have noticed a packet of information under your door recently concerning the new trash and recycling program recently instituted by the City of Salem. Read it carefully.
The skinny is that the new program is mandatory, so we have no choice but to comply.
The city has established an 8-week "grace" period during the implementation of this program to allow people to adjust to the new requirements. After that 8 week period, fines will be levied for violations of the recycling rules . These fines can add up quickly. That is a bad thing because eventually those fines will come out of your pocket, so.... please help avoid additional and unnecessary costs by only recycling those materials allowed and by not putting items that are eligible for recycling in the dumpster. Take a look at the sheet. Familiarize yourself with the allowed and disallowed items. PAY ATTENTION to what you are throwing away.
We encourage you to visit www.salem.com for further information.

IMPORTANT Recycling/Trash Changes

You may have noticed some new recycling bins in the side driveway.
A new and improved trash and recycling collection program will begin November 2, 2015.
Please read the following carefully. 

Remember — recycling is mandatory in Salem. 

New Recycling Collection Program
Beginning in November, recycling carts will be collected by an automated process in most neighborhoods. Special trucks with ‘arms’ will pick up your carts and deposit their contents into the truck.
NOTE: Recycling will be collected every other week in the blue 96-gallon cart instead of every week. The old bins will be going away DO NOT USE THE OLD BINS after November 2. Only supplied carts will be collected - trash barrels, blue recycling bins, or any other
receptacles will no longer be acceptable or collected.

Trash & Single Stream Recycling Collection
Salem is now offering ‘single stream’ recycling, which means that paper, plastic, glass bottles and cans may all be mixed together in your recycling cart. That is the good news. The bad news is that they will a lot pickier about what is in the bins. Pay careful attention to what items are allowed and what are not. There is a handy guide on the lid of each bin. If you are in doubt, put it in the dumpster. If you place disallowed items in the bins we run a strong risk of not having our recycling picked up, which besides being a pain in the neck, will be an additional expense for Markwood, and therefore for you.

So to RECAP
• Use the 96-gallon blue cart with the green lid.
• Recycling will be collected every-other-week.
• No sorting is needed.
• DO NOT put recyclables in plastic bags.
• Containers that held food should be rinsed and FREE of FOOD DEBRIS.
 For example: no pizza boxes with grease of cheese on them.
Acceptable materials for curbside recycling include:

A more detailed list of materials that can be recycled will be distributed later this week to all 24 Norman Street residents. You can also obtain more information by visiting  www.Salem.com.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Recycling Etiquette

There are a number of recycling bins available for the use of residents at 24 Norman Street, but after finding loose cardboard blowing around the side parking lot and a pile of boxes next to the bins, we thought it might be helpful to go over some basic rules of recycling and trash "etiquette".

1. Put the appropriate item into the appropriate bin.
People are generally in a hurry to dispose of their trash and recycling as quickly as possible, but taking a few seconds to read the labels on the recycling bins and/or check what is already in them before placing your items would be helpful. The recycling is sorted by item, both by where they put it in  the truck and where it is processed at the plant, so mixing different items in the bins just makes it a slower and more difficult process.

2. Make sure the materials to be recycled are relatively clean.
That means rinsing out bottles and cans and food containers so that there is no visible food residue in them. If you have something with food really stuck in it, say some cardboard food container such as a pizza box, if it is permeated with grease or has cheese stuck to it, please throw it in the trash, not the recycling bins. It's hard enough to keep the dumpster from smelling and being infested with flies, let alone the recycling bins.

3. Break down those cardboard boxes.
Too often people do not take the time to break down their cardboard items (such as large boxes) and leave them in a pile next to the bins.
This is a problem in several instances; when it is raining, when it is windy, when there is mixed packing material (such as styrofoam) in the box. These are all circumstances that either make an unsightly mess, make it almost difficult to recycle the material, or both.
Even if anitem is small enough to fit into the bin without breaking it down, you should break it down as much as possible, or you make it difficult for other tenants to use the bin, leading back to the unsightly piles of stuff outside the bins.

4. Leave the caps on those bottles
Rather than removing the caps from bottles, or throwing them into the bins by themselves, please put the caps back on. We have been told that when they sort the materials, the smaller items often fall into the machinery, and gum up the works.

If everyone could make an effort to follow these 4 guidelines, it would make for a much cleaner, more efficient and less ghetto-looking recycling area. Thank you!

Semi-Annual FREE Book Swap

GreenSalem.com is sponsoring another of their semi-annual book swaps at the Senior Center on Broad Street. (That is only 2 blocks from us) If you've never been to one, these swaps are busy and surprisingly fun.

The swap is September 19, 2015 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
 
If you have a lot of items, they can be dropped off ahead of time on Friday, September 18th from 5-7 p.m and on Saturday, September 19th from 9:45 a.m.-12noon.

The book swap is a great way to recycle any of your unwanted books, greeting cards; and commercial CDs, DVDs and videos. Take home a whole new selection of items, cards and even some bestselling books. All books are accepted—even text books.
No swap is needed - you can donate materials, take materials, or both.

SalemRecycles is the City’s volunteer recycling committee which works to increase recycling and encourage positive recycling practices through educational outreach and special events. Through the last eleven Book Swaps, SalemRecycles has hosted over 4,200 participants; recycled an estimated 57,000 books, and avoided over 28 tons of landfill disposal.

For more information about SalemRecycles or the Book Swap, please call(978)-619-5679 or visit www.salem.com/recycling or GreenSalem.com. Like SalemRecycles on Facebook.
All left over materials will be donated or recycled.

Two great recycling opportunities!

Two great recycling opportunities on 
Saturday, March 28, 2015

Free Book Swap
10am-1pm
at Council on Aging
5 Broad Street!

Just in time for Spring Cleaning - SalemRecycles is holding another free book and media swap on Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 10 AM - 1 PM at the Senior Center, 5 Broad Street, Salem. All~books will be accepted. Everything that doesn’t find a new home will be donated or recycled.

Materials can be dropped off in advance on Friday, March 27 from 5:00-7:00 PM or bring them with you on Saturday (before noon). Volunteers will be available to help unload.

Everyone is invited to take books, etc.—no “swap” needed.

E-Waste Recycling
8am-noon
at Salem High School
77 Willson Street!

The City has contracted with RMG Enterprises to recycle residential e-waste.  RMG will accept anything with a plug-most items are free.  There will be a $10/unit fee for TVs, Computers, Monitors, Laptops, and Large Appliances (Refrigerators, A/C and Freezers).

This event is for Salem residents only, ID required.

For more information on either event contact Julie Rose at jrose@salem.com or 978-619-5679.
.

Clothing and Textile Recycling Drive–Saturday November 22, 2014!

On Saturday, November 22nd, SalemRecycles will host  the fourth annual textile recycling drive at Riley Plaza  parking lot from 8 am - 3 pm.  The parking lot is directly across from the Salem Post Office at 2 Margin Street.  Just look for a big Goodwill truck.  So just drive in and drop off your textiles.  You will be helped by a group of enthusiastic SalemRecycles volunteers.

What can you recycle?  Clothing, sneakers, shoes, boots, slippers, belts, ties, purses, pillows, bedding (comforters, sheets, blankets), table linens, stuffed animals and draperies/curtains. Items can be in almost any condition.  Moth-eaten, torn, and stained fabrics are reusable. However, they must be clean and dry to be accepted.

What is not allowed?  NO carpets, NO rugs, NO bric-a-brac, NO oil rags, and absolutely NO wet or mildewed items.

24 Norman Street residents take note that this event may affect parking access to some parts of Riley Plaza.

Questions?  Please call - 978-619-5679 or go to: www.salem.com/recycling or greensalem.com/events.

Free Book Swap Saturday September 20

Unload your old books and help yourself to new ones at a Free Book Swap! This is the eleventh book swap sponsored by SalemRecycles, the City of Salem’s Recycling Committee. The event will take place at the Senior Center at 5 Broad Street on Saturday September 20 from 10am – 1pm.

The book swap is a great way to recycle any of your unwanted books, greeting cards; and commercial CDs, DVDs and videos. Take home a whole new selection of commercial media items, cards and even some bestselling books.  All books are accepted—even text books. No swap is needed--you can donate materials, take materials, or both!  Drop off will be held Friday, September 19, from 5:30-7 pm, or just bring your books between 9:45 am and noon on Saturday.

Back by Popular Demand: SalemRecyclesBook Swap!

When:                   Saturday September 20, 10 am until 1 pm

**Please no book dealers or more than two bags per swapper before noon**

Where:                  City of Salem Senior Center

                             5 Broad Street

Why:                    To promote re-use and recycling of books, greeting cards and other commercial media items (CD’s, DVD’s and videos).

Drop-Off:             Friday, September 19, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Senior Center at 5 Broad Street, or Saturday September 15, during book swap hours. Volunteers will be available to help.

Bring your excess books, greeting cards, and commercial CDs, DVDs and videos.  Items will be loosely categorized to help you in your hunt for free entertainment. All ‘unswapped’ items will be reused or recycled.

SalemRecycles is the City’s volunteer recycling committee which works to increase recycling and encourage positive recycling practices through educational outreach and special events.  Through the last eleven Book Swaps, SalemRecycles has hosted over 3,700 participants; recycled an estimated 40,000; books, and avoided almost 20 tons of landfill disposal.  For more information about SalemRecycles or the Book Swap, please call (978)-619-5679 or visit www.salem.com/recycling or GreenSalem.com.  Like SalemRecycles on Face book.

Christmas Tree Disposal

Well it's that time of year again when people pack up their Christmas decorations and wrapping paper, and dispose of their Christmas trees. In past years you could take your tree to Dead Horse Beach in Salem for the Annual Christmas Tree Bonfire, but that event was recently cancelled because of the snow storm and record cold temperatures. This may leave you wondering what to do with your tree this year. As usual, some people resort to dragging it down the hallway and stairs and throwing it in the dumpster. This is not the preferred method as the trees take up so much space as to make it difficult to dispose of our regular trash.
Salem has scheduled curbside pick-up of Christmas trees as part of the regularly scheduled recycling pick-up, from Monday, January 6 2014, till Friday, January 17. Our regular trash/recycling day is Tuesday. Remove all decorations, tinsel, and lights from the tree and drag your it to the curb by the end of the driveway (do not block the driveway or the sidewalk) for Tuesday, January 7 , or missing that, Tuesday January 14, and the City of Salem will pick it up. If you miss those dates, leave the tree by the side of the dumpster rather than throwing it in the dumpster. If you have any questions, please contact Markwood Management. Thanks!

Don't Do This

When placing cardboard into the paper recycling bins, remember to break down boxes, etc. as much as possible. Don't do what is pictured here. The lids of the containers must be able to close, so that when it rains or snows, the bins don't fill with water and turn the contents into a sodden mess. It also keeps this stuff from blowing around in the street. If the bin is already full, save the recycling for next week, or throw it in the dumpster. Thank you.

WTF? Situations

I hate sounding like the resident curmudgeon, but there have been some things happening around the building lately that indicate some tenants here at 24 Norman Street have a different standard of behavior when it comes to living in a condo . Things that make me say "WTF?".Here are a few "WTF?" examples from the last few weeks:


WTF? #1 The Front Door
























The front door key code entry system broke the week after Christmas. A notice was posted soon afterwards informing people that they would need to use their manual front door key.
Key? What's that?
Apparently many residents did not have keys, or had never bothered to get one. In spite of the fact that Markwood's phone number is clearly posted in several places in the building, and the fact that they offered to distribute keys to tenants for free, the front and back doors were found propped open, the locks tampered with and jammed, and on one occasion even taped open, (which created an unnecessary security and safety issue) because...people couldn't be bothered to take 5 minutes and call Markwood for a key? Seriously?



WTF? #2 The Dumpster























Unless we miss a pickup for some reason, there is generally a lot of unused space in the dumpster on any given week, however you would never know it to look at it. It is mostly at the back of the dumpster. If people would take a little more care in where they place their trash inside the dumpster and make sure that it is distributed to the back first, rather than piling up in the front, then we won't have it looking like it did this week. Because this looks so attractive...to rats. Also, kudos to whoever left the giant cardboard boxes sitting on the ground.

WTF? #3 The Recycling
























I have already posted about breaking down cardboard boxes to fit in the recycling bin, some people are actually doing it. I saw someone tearing up a cardboard box to fit it into the recycling bin just last week and almost wept for joy. Many of you however, are still not getting the message. You need to pick up and take care of your own trash... so that it doesn't blow all over the sidewalk and the street and make the building look like a college dorm after an all-night kegger.

WTF? #4 The Laundry Room

















If you are planning on doing several loads of laundry, please plan on sticking around the building until the laundry is done. There are only 6 machines for 39 units. (Do the math)
There is nothing more frustrating than finding all the machines full of clothes in the morning, and then finding those same clothes in the same machines in the evening.
It seems like some of you are putting in a load before you go to work and not checking them until you come home at night, or return from an extended vacation abroad. That leads to scenes like this one. However if you don't mind your clothes being handled by strangers, or tossed into a damp, mildew-ey pile, please continue this practice.

It doesn't take much extra effort to make a big difference in how the building looks and feels. Maybe an extra five minutes of effort or thought.
You may be thinking "What's the big deal? We have maintenance people and trustees to take care of these things", or "If it's outside of my unit, it's not my problem", but those attitudes are short-sighted. Do you care how where you live looks? Do you care if it feels clean, neat and well maintained? Sure, we pay people to clear snow, do landscaping, pick up trash, put out the recycling, vacuum, mop, and do general repairs, but they can't make the building feel like a decent place to live if we, the tenants who live here, demonstrate that we don't care about it through our careless behavior.

Recycling Bin

You may have noticed a new, blue recycling bin in the front stairwell. Jeannine Matthews in Unit 209 suggested that a bin be placed there for the recycling of the many papers and flyers that otherwise end up in the trash. It's a great idea, as the trash barrel is frequently filled with other, less-recyclable stuff. Remember the new bin is for paper items only.