Great Barrington to launch Downtown Recycling Program

The Town of Great Barrington is launching a public recycling program for bottles and cans in its downtown area on Earth Day, April 22nd. Recycling bins for these items will be placed along Main St., Railroad St., and in the Triplex parking area.

In 2003, a group of Great Barrington residents convened to discuss the need for public recycling, prompted by Roberta Wheeler who had just returned from a trip to Montreal where public recycling is common practice. The Center For Ecological Technology (CET) was asked to assist in the matter, and an official recycling committee was formed.

The group's regular participants include; Don Chester, Superintendent, Great Barrington Department of Public Works, Sharon Palma, Executive Director, Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Peter Vallianos; Attorney, Great Barrington, Lisa Federico from the Berkshire Co-op Market and several CET staff.

The recycling committee worked out the necessary logistics, such as what type of bin to use and how the bottles and cans would be collected. The bins posed a challenge as buying them could cost as much as $600 each. CET helped the committee develop some cheaper alternatives that involved re-using and thus recycling some existing containers. Thanks to help from the Railroad Street Youth Project, local students will paint the bins. On February 14th, CET presented the idea to the Great Barrington Selectmen. The Select Board unanimously endorsed the concept.

By implementing a public recycling program, Great Barrington will be leading the way in rural communities' waste management practices. Although recycling is commonplace in many public areas such as airports, National Parks, and train stations, downtown areas rarely offer such a thing.

"This effort promises to be a success because of all the different people helping to make it happen. Residents, businesses, the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, the Town and Railroad Street Youth Project have been great partners," said Raya Ariella, CET Waste Management Specialist. "By offering recycling in public places, Great Barrington is sending a clear message that recycling is important and that our community is working to protect the environment."

If you are interested in learning more about the Great Barrington street recycling you can contact Raya Ariella at CET (413)-445-4556 ext 17.