The residents of Watertown, Massachusetts, a Boston area suburb with a population of thirty thousand, are seeing great success from their recent improvements to city-wide recycling initiatives.

A mere four months after creating a new, curbside recycling program, the city has seen the level of garbage generated by residents drop by over twenty percent and the level of recyclable material  increase by close to thirty five percent. All parties involved from city officials to residents to the contracted waste and recycling haulers, are pleased with the success.

The new recycling program, which began over the summer, involves picking up recycling materials every other week using sturdy, sixty-four gallon containers. The plan has been so widely embraced that many residents report the need for additional bins or a move to weekly recycling pick-ups. While Watertown administrators express concern that moving to weekly recycling pick-up would erase the savings of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars that is currently afforded the city with the current plan,  there is discussion about allowing residents to purchase additional recycling bins beyond the one provided to them to help fuel the recycling habit.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: The Watertown success story shows that you can be financially savvy and environmentally-aware at the same time. As more and more people want the chance to recycling, cities and towns need to consider opportunities to save money while saving the planet!