Solid Waste Division
The Solid Waste Division consists of 3 employees who oversee the collection and disposal of Town refuse. Services include assisting residents deposit trash and recyclables into proper containers; hauling trash and recyclables to disposal sites; manage stockpiles of compost and mulch for residents use; and assist with winter snow plowing.
Southwick continues to promote recycling in order to reduce operating costs and meet goals established in MassDEP’s 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan by reducing our annual solid waste disposal by at least 30% from 2020 to 2030 and a reduction of at least 90% by 2050.
The following table summarizes the volume (measured in tons) of recyclables the Town collected from 2015 to 2021:
Trash & Recycables (measured in tons) | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Trash | 2,310 | 2,210 | 2,024 | 2,259 | 2,202 | 2,045 |
| Paper | 253 | 258 | 270 | 276 | 262 | 247 |
| Bottles and Cans | 162 | 170 | 183 | 186 | 175 | 155 |
| Rigid Plastic** | 23 | 9 | 15 | 17.5 | 18 | 17 |
| Wood Recycling*** | n/a | n/a | 267 | 369.5 | 259 | 231 |
| Scrap Metal | 168 | 188 | 150 | 193 | 152 | 129 |
| Electronics & Appliances | 40 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 20 |
| Mattresses & Boxsprings | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Tires | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9.5 | 4 |
| Textiles | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9.25 | 10.65 | 10.4 |
| Books | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lamps & Batteries | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Waste Oil & Antifreeze | 1 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Leaves & Grass Clippings* | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Wood Chips* | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Total Tonnage | 3,156 | 3,076 | 3,157 | 3,546.25 | 3,315.15 | 3,058.3 |
| Recyclable Tonnage | 846 | 866 | 1,133 | 1,287.25 | 1,113.15 | 1,013.3 |
| Recyclables to total waste stream | 26.81% | 28.16% | 35.89% | 36.29% | 33.57% | 33.13% |
*Estimated
** Rigid Plastic recycling started in March 2016
***Wood recycling started in April 2019
Use the following link to a directory of vendors that accept unique or hard-to-handle items that many municipalities do not accept: https://recyclesearch.com/profile/ma
