Please note that all the waste that goes into our trash compactors is sent out to a facility in Rochester for incineration. This process costs the Town $85/ton. While some energy is recaptured, household waste is expensive in terms of dollars and environmental impact. Everything you recycle saves the Town $85/ton and minimizes the effects on our air, land and water.
Accepted items:
Prohibited items:
- All recyclable items as well as construction and demolition materials must be dealt with separately. If you are unsure about a given item or material, please click on the appropriate link above or send us an email at recycling@hingham-ma.com.
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Plastic Containers:
Accepted items:
Prohibited items:
- No plastic bags, please.
- Most local supermarkets accept plastic bags for recycling. At the Transfer Station they tend to blow around, creating a mess and a cost for cleanup. RE-using bags is easy and cost efficient. Many markets will give a discount for bags brought in for re-use, and/or you can purchase sturdy mesh/fabric bags for multiple re-uses.
- No containers with food residue on them as they tend to attract insects and rodents.
- No styrofoam. Although some styrofoam containers do have a recycling symbol on them, their weight and density do not make them cost effective for the Town to recycle.
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Redeemable Cans and Plastic Bottles:
Accepted items:
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All redeemable plastic bottles and aluminum cans are to be deposited in the specially designated area in the green barrels inside the baler building.
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All redeemable bottles and cans that are collected in the recycling building are donated to Hingham Youth Non-Profit organizations.
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If you are interested in helping a youth organization to benefit from this program please call the DPW office for more information 781-741-1430.
Prohibited items:
- No non-redeemable cans or bottles
- No glass redeemable bottles. (glass is too risky for youth groups to handle)
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Food and Beverage Cans:
Accepted items:
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All non-redeemable food and beverage cans are to be washed/rinsed thoroughly otherwise they tend to attract insects and rodents. Labels need not be removed.
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All cans can be mingled into the same collection container.
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Cans with deposits should be placed in the deposit can area. Your local youth organizations collect these, turn them in and get money to fund their projects.
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If possible, please flatten the cans to allow for more in each load.
Prohibited items:
- No aluminum foil, paint cans (either full or empty), or metal cookware.
- Redeemable cans or bottles.
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Glass, Bottles, and Jars:
Accepted items:
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All glass containers should be washed/rinsed prior to disposal otherwise they attract insects and rodents. Labels need not be removed.
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Glass does not have to be sorted and separated into respective colors.
Prohibited items:
- No cookware, drinking glasses, plate glass, safety glass, mirror glass, automobile glass, light bulbs, ceramics, porcelain, other contaminated glass and old bottles dug from the ground. Please donate items in good condition to an organization in need for REUSE.
- We appreciate your efforts to separate your glass items and ask that you be diligent about recycling only glass in the glass container area and not plastics.
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Paper Newspapers and Magazines:
Accepted items:
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Newspaper and magazines can be mingled in bundles.
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Sheet paper, notepaper, and drawing paper.
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Single layered cardboard i.e. gift, cereal, food or shoeboxes.
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You do not need to remove cellophane windows or metals such as staples and bindings on a notepad.
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Hingham receives at a minimum $7.50/ton of recycled paper.
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Green and yellow paper bins from Abitibi are also stationed at the schools around town. If you wish to use the Abitibi bins, you may. Abitibi will pay the schools between $5 and $20/ton of paper (price is dependent on volume).
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Shredded paper may be included if enclosed in clear plastic bags.
Prohibited items:
- No foils, or plastic bags or plastic of any type. If using paper bags to bundle paper, please make sure they don't have plastic handles or remove the handles before recycling.
- No corrugated cardboard. This gets recycled in a separate area - please see corrugated cardboard section.
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Corrugated Cardboard Boxes and Inserts:
Please recycle your corrugated cardboard! The Town receives market value for this which has been about $60 - $65/ton. Every ton of cardboard that is removed from the waste stream and recycled has a net benefit to Hingham of approximately $200.
Accepted items:
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Corrugated cardboard has open holes along sides.
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Please make every effort to remove all strapping, staples, tape, and other non-cardboard material.
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All cardboard boxes are to be flattened prior to recycling. This helps with efficiencient bundling of cardboard at our transfer station.
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Pizza boxes are acceptable only if they aren't saturated in grease and other food residue.
Prohibited items:
- No single layered cardboard such as gift, cereal and shoeboxes. These go in the paper recycling.
- No waxed/sealed boxes frozen food, milk, some cereal, or other such food boxes are acceptable.
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Goodwill Collection/Red Cross Collection:
Accepted items:
Prohibited:
- The Goodwill, Planet Aid, Bay State Textile, and Red Cross Collection containers are not a Swap Shop for residents. Removal of items from these containers is prohibited.
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Book Collection - GOT Books:
Accepted items:
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All types of books (hardcover, paperback, DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, audio books, older books, text books, comic books, LPs/vinyl records, kids books, board games, puzzles, trading cards and cell phones).
Prohibited:
- Enclopedias are not accepted.
- Residents are not allowed to remove books.
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Waste Oil Collection:
Located on the exit side of baler building
Accepted items:
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Crankcase oil, fuel oil, gear oil, hydraulic oil, transmission oil and brake fluid. Residential drop off only.
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Antifreeze and used oil filters (drained) collected separately adjacent to the oil tank.
Prohibited items:
- No gasoline, kerosene, or paint thinners are accepted.
- No paint or other hazardous waste.
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Scrap Metal/White Metal Goods:
Accepted items:
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All metal items are required to be recycled, i.e. refrigerators, stoves, etc.
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Refrigerator doors must be removed prior to drop off.
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Residential drop off only.
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Residents taking items from the metal pile must have approval from the Transfer Station personnel.
Prohibited items:
- The following items ARE NOT considered scrap metal for recycling; batteries, gas tanks, exhaust systems, automotive engines, engine parts, 55-gallon drums (closed-tops), closed containers, wood, cable wire, pressurized containers, furniture, and/or tires and do not belong in the scrap metal area.
- No oil tanks please.
- No demolition items. These are to placed in the open top containers and require a permit. Please see construction/demolition section on this page.
- Any items considered special waste, please see the Recycling Coordinator in order to find out where or if these can be disposed.
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Compostable Yard Waste:
Please make sure that your yard waste does not include plastic bags. This contaminates the entire yard and could end up costing the Town thousands of dollars to rectify.
Accepted items:
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Limited to leaves and grass clippings only.
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Residential and commercial drop off. Commercial haulers are subject to fees.
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Screened compost material is used by the town as top dressing on public parks, roadside construction projects, athletic fields and on slopes for erosion control.
Prohibited items:
- No trash, branches, brush, paper, garbage or other refuse can be mixed with compost materials (leaves and grass).
- No wood chips. Wood chips are to be dumped in area designated by attendant.
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Compostable Wood Waste and Brush:
Permitting Process:
Please contact the Department of Public Works at 781-741-1430 to obtain a permit to dispose of bulky items into the open top containers.
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If you are looking to dispose or recycle an item that you are unable to find on this page, please contact us at recycling@hingham-ma.com so we can assist you and update our list for you and others.
For more information on the Department of Public Works or Recycling/Trash Transfer Area and Recycling Center please call the Department of Public Works at 781-741-1430
