The City of Malden will hold an educational forum on Wednesday, March 18th at 6 PM at the Linden STEAM Academy Auditorium, 29 Wescott Street. The purpose of the meeting is to inform the public about proper recycling to ensure continued curbside pickup of recycling material. Our hauler, JRM, has notified us that as of April 6, 2020 they will begin strictly enforcing current recycling requirements. They will no longer pick up bins that contain contaminated recycling materials. JRM recently brought to our attention that after they collect Malden’s recycling and process it at the recycling processing facility, the majority of the content ends up being disqualified and sent into the waste stream as trash. This is not only harmful to the environment but is also in violation of our contract with JRM.
JRM has pointed out that this is not a problem that is restricted to Malden as many communities across the state are experiencing the same challenges. Malden along with other communities are now in the process of educating residents on this important matter and will continue to provide information to residents to guide them on how to properly recycle to avoid having recycling bins being left curbside beginning in April.
Please note this meeting will NOT be to discuss the recent solid waste overhaul proposal that was submitted to the City Council. There will be separate public meetings held regarding those program changes. The goal of this meeting is to provide residents with information about the upcoming strict enforcement of proper recycling, as well as to answer any questions they may have about how to properly recycle.