The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today announced that it is implementing a recycling program in its community parks: Bremen Street, Piers Park, and Festa Field, all located in East Boston, and the South Boston Maritime Park located in Boston's Seaport District. The program is the result of Massport's efforts to broaden its green initiatives in its surrounding communities and a continuation of its Authority-wide recycling program.
Most of the parks will have receptacles for recycling newspapers and magazines, aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Glass is prohibited in all of the parks. Thirteen "recycling stations" at a total cost of $6,000 are being distributed throughout the four parks. The stations will be emptied daily by Massport.
"This recycling effort is a public program and it is something that park users said they want," said Catherine Wetherell, Massport's Deputy Director of Capital Programs & Environmental Affairs. "It is a great way to teach youngsters how to be more responsible in maintaining their playground and preserving the environment."
The recycling stations come in two design styles chosen to blend in with the parks' landscaping. One style features two, 30-gallon standalone barrels placed side by side. They are made of galvanized steel for durability and fire resistance. The barrels will be blue and placed near blue playground equipment and concession areas. The other recycling stations to be placed in all other park areas are "cluster style" which consist of two interlocking barrels. One barrel is for paper, and the other for plastic and aluminum recyclables. They are constructed of simulated wood slats made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Each of the stations is made in the U.S. by Windsor Barrel Works.