50° and Clear
Image
10-30-2026 8:41pm
PRESS RELEASE: Audit Reveals Westwood’s Recycling Contamination Rate Below Threshold
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Thanks to the Town of Westwood for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.
WESTWOOD, MA – The Department of Public Works (DPW) is pleased to announce that the Town of Westwood’s curbside recycling contamination rate is 7.9%, below the threshold set by the Town’s recycling processing facility.
“This is an outstanding achievement and something that the entire Town should be proud of,” said Director of Public Works Todd Korchin.
The recycling audit began on October 5 and lasted several weeks. As part of the audit, Westwood’s recycling processing facility collected samples from inbound recycling loads, then hand-sorted and analyzed them to determine what percentage of loads contained items that did not belong in the recycling stream.
The Town’s recycling processing facility has established a contamination threshold of 10%, and in 2023, Westwood’s contamination rate was 17.6%. This successful reduction in the town’s contamination rate is a direct reflection of the residents’ hard work and the outreach, education, and recycling awareness efforts established following the past audit. The community’s commitment to correct recycling practices is making a difference.
One takeaway from the audit is that using brown recyclable bags to collect other recyclables and place them in a barrel is actually considered a contaminant. Even though the bag is filled with accepted materials, when it is compacted with items, it becomes too heavy for the sorting machines to process.
The Town asks residents to empty the items into the barrels and place the loose bag in separately. A surprising contributor to Westwood’s contamination level, emptying these brown recyclable bags will help us lower our rate further.
The Town of Westwood would also like to recognize the Westwood Environmental Action Committee for its hard work in the ongoing fight against recycling contamination.
“Every conversation, outreach campaign, inspection, and educational effort helps move the needle in the right direction,” said Korchin. “Let’s celebrate this accomplishment, but don’t stop here. Keep the momentum going and continue building on this success.”
