Managing Municipal Materials in Difficult Markets

1. Town of
Ipswich
Working With the Hauler:
A Collaborative Effort for
Tough Times

2. BACKGROUND
4 bag/barrel limit enforced
2006
3 bag/barrel limit
implemented 2008
$2 overthrow sticker
2 bag/barrel limit implemented
January 2010
1 bag/barrel limit and single-stream recycling
implemented July 2010
$2 overthrow bag replaces sticker

3. JRM’s Collection Role
 Ipswich awards JRM their trash/recycling
collection contract in 2010.
 JRM owns recyclables but agreed to pay the
Town a small rebate for all its recycling tonnage.
 From the beginning, JRM told the Town they
would use a split-body collection truck and sort
single-stream recyclables into dual stream if
presented as such or easily sorted at the curb.

4. Ipswich’s Role
 Ipswich and its 9-member Recycling Advisory
Committee are very proactive on educating its
residents about waste reduction and recycling
right.
 Their one-barrel trash limit is strictly enforced by
JRM and backed up by Town Hall.
 Non-compliant recycling or trash is stickered and
left at the curb by JRM (manual collection makes
this easy).

5. Ipswich’s Role, cont’d.
 The Town operates a free Recycling and Yard Waste
Drop-off open 2 days a week.
 Mercury waste can also be brought to the Drop-off.
 Button-cell batteries are collected all year at several
locations in town, including Town Hall.
 In addition, the Town’s Recycling Committee puts on
3 zero-waste events a year.
 The Town and Recycling Committee also offer
weekly (private-pay) food-waste collection for $1 per
week per household (470 to date).

6. JRM’s Processing Role
 In Winter 2015, JRM opened GreenWorks,
a state-of-the-art, single-stream MRF in
Peabody.
 75% of the material coming into the MRF is
dual stream. Of the 17 municipalities JRM
serves, most remain dual-stream recycling
and all are manually collected, making it
easier to spot contamination.

7. JRM’s Processing Role, cont’d.
 GreenWorks positively sorts out glass first,
making it the only MA single-stream MRF whose
glass goes directly to Strategic Materials* (glass
recycler).
 With the glass out, all of the other commodities
are cleaner – especially paper.
 JRM reports that they have no challenges selling
their fiber (paper) bales.

10. ipswichrecycles.org
ipswichcomposts.org
marlenec@ipswich-ma.gov
781.334.5426
Special thanks to
Ipswich Recycling Advisory Committee