Then came peanut butter jars and milk jugs. Now, the state is about to require Massachusetts residents to recycle everything from dismantled decks and wooden doors to, yes, the kitchen sink. A Roxbury store already exists and another is opening in Springfield this spring. One Dorchester store has even teamed up with retailers, such as Nike on Newbury Street and Eddie Bauer in the Burlington Mall, to donate display racks and mannequins to be resold. Contractors who do the bulk of demolition, building and renovation work will shoulder most of the burden.
People go out of their way to recycle household items such as bottles, cans, and newspapers.
State officials say they are now trying to work out exactly how construction material can be recycled in the easiest, most cost-effective way. And they acknowledge they have a long way to go to plant such a recycling ethic in contractors and the public. What's more, they say the ban will only go into effect in 2003 if there are enough places to recycle or resell the material. It's sorely needed, however. Between 1994 and 1999, construction and demolition waste in the state almost doubled to 4.7 million tons annually.