11 Things You Need to Know about Zero Waste Day

By LIZ TAURASI (Patch Staff)

Tewksbury’s seventh annual Zero Waste Day will be held Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Wynn Middle School parking lot in Tewksbury. The event is open to residents in surrounding communities, including Chelmsford.

Here are 11 things you need to know about Zero Waste Day:

What is Zero Waste Day?

ZWD is an opportunity for you to clean out your attics, basements, closets, and garages of used but usable items and pass them on to local people in need. To make it extra easy for you to share your donations, we’ve invited 14 organizations to come to the Wynn Middle School parking lot so that you don’t even need to leave town. Simply load up your car, drive on thru, and we’ll even help you to unload your car and distribute your donations.

Which organizations are participating this year?

Big Brother Big Sister Foundation, Bikes Not Bombs, Boston Building Resources, Central Mass Mosquito Control, Community Giving Tree, Electronic Recyclers International, Lazarus House, Lowell Humane Society, Mission of Deeds, More Than Words, MSPCA/Nevins Farm, Neighbors in Need, Paper Retriever, and Wish Project of Lowell. Visit their website to find links to each organization’s website.

What kinds of donations are being accepting?

Clothing, shoes, furniture, household goods, bikes, baby gear, books, pet supplies, building supplies and more! NOTE: IF YOU WOULD NOT PASS YOUR DONATION ON TO A FRIEND, PLEASE DO NOT BRING IT TO ZERO WASTE DAY. Items should be clean and functional and should maintain the dignity of the recipient. Please be aware the cost of disposing of damaged or unusable items takes important funding away from the ultimate mission of our participating non-profits.

What kinds of donations are you NOT accepting?

Please do not bring the following types of items: exercise equipment, sports equipment, hazardous waste materials, encyclopedia sets and videotapes, baby gear that is more than 8 years old, drop-side cribs, anything with missing parts or requiring repair, toys (with the exception of “like-new” wooden puzzles, ride-on toys, Little Tykes, American Girl Dolls, Legos, and pre-school toys that are under 10 years old). These items WILL BE accepted for Community Giving Tree’s Twice Loved Toy Sale.

Will electronics recycling be available?

Yes! We have once again partnered with certified e-waste company Electronics Recyclers International, and our pricing continues to beat in-town costs. TVs/monitors are $15 (under 26”), $25 (over 27”-40”), $35 (41+”) or $5 (flat screen under 21”). And other electronics are priced in small ($1), medium ($5) and large ($10) categories with items like computer keyboards for $1, laptops for $5 and printers for $10. (More detail can be found on the attached Electronics Recycling Tally Sheet.)

What about bikes?

For the seventh year in a row, Bikes Not Bombs will be on site to accept used bikes. Our ZWD event is one of their BIGGEST of the year with 93 bikes collected in 2014 from Tewksbury. Please support this fantastic organization and know for certain that your adult or children’s bike will not be recycled for scrap metal but will instead be reclaimed and used to create local and global programs that provide skill development, jobs, and sustainable transportation.

And batteries?

Thanks to our friends at Andover ZWD, we’ll gladly recycle any intact/non-leaking batteries including: auto batteries, lawn/tractor batteries, rechargeables, button cells, laptop batteries, computer UPS, and alkalines. Last year, we recycled more than 1200 lbs. of batteries!

Again this year: FREE Tire Recycling!

Central Mass Mosquito Control will accept off-rim (not mounted) tires which they will recycle at no cost. Read more about it here.

Is ZWD for Tewksbury residents only?

Tewksbury is a super generous town and, as such, we invite residents from surrounding communities to share in the ZWD experience. All are welcome!

Committee thanks sponsors

Eleven generous businesses and civic orgs have offered $250 in financial sponsorship (tax deductible, paid directly to non-profit) to eleven of the participating organizations. Thank you Dr. Steven Demetriou, DMD, Tewksbury Lions Club, Well Water Connection, Tewksbury Congregational Church, The Barkery, Enterprise Bank, Knowledge Beginnings, Best Pets Veterinary Hospital, Tewksbury Dental Associates, Heatherwood Gracious Retirement Living, and Wamesit Lanes. Additionally, we are thankful to the following three organizations for their general sponsorship of Zero Waste Day: Tewksbury Rotary Club, Junk Depot, and Ready for Anything. Check out the Community Support page of our website for links to each of these fine organizations.

How can you help?

Facebook users are encouraged to LIKE the Zero Waste Day page and RSVP to the event so ZWD will be active in the newsfeed over the coming week. The organization is hoping to hit 550 LIKES and 125 Yes RSVPs by Sept. 26.

Any questions?

Should you have any questions, please contact event coordinators Beth McFadyen and Loretta Ryan at bmcfadyen@comcast.net and macnmad@comcast.net.

For more information visit www.zwdtewksbury.org.