Reuse & Recycle
April 12, 2025 - Recycle and Reuse Day - 10am to 2pm at the Marathon School
Bring items you no longer need to be reused or responsibly recycled or disposed of. For details, see Recycling & Reuse Day.
Remember the Re's in order of impact from greatest to least: Refuse > Reduce > Reuse (including Repair) > Recycle - see Waste Reduction for more information.
Trash & Recycling (glass, plastic, paper, metal, textiles, harzardous, more) for the Town of Hopkinton
Massachusetts law prohibits certain items from being included in the trash including recyclable paper, plastics, glass, leaves, textiles, electronics, white metal, and mattresses. Here's a summary of recycling and trash in Hopkinton:
Hopkinton trash collection is via weekly curbside pickup of containers. For extra trash, use a bag you can buy at Price Chopper. Our trash is incinerated.
Curbside pickup of paper, glass, metal (free) - Follow the DPW recycling guidelines (like no film plastics) to help make the process more efficient and valuable, OR visit the easy-to-use and extensive guide at RecycleSmartMA.org to quickly check if something can be recycled, to understand why, and to learn tips like this one - plastic can be recyled if it's a bottle, jar, jug, or tub.
Schedule a pickup from Helpsy for textiles to be recycled, once you have 3 bags worth (combine with your neighbors!)
Drop off: electronics (fee), leaf and brush, as well as items accepted in curbside recycling at 394 Woods St. on Saturdays from 7am to 3pm
White metal recycling (stoves, washers, water heaters etc. but NOT air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers) can be taken by residents to the Highway Department at 66 Fruit Street the first Saturday of every month from 7am to noon
Hazardous waste can be brought to the DPW once a year, usually in July, or see other options below
See the DPW Web page for hours and fees
Watch this video about how the recycling operation for Hopkinton works
Recycling for kids guide - The Environmental Club for Girls in Bay Minette, AL, came across this resource when doing research for a project on sustainability and wanted to share it with us. They found HopGreen.org to be a helpful website for their research. Thank you to the club for your work and for sharing the resource!
Where you can give or get items for extended life or responsible disposal
Batteries
Batteries contain precious elements that can be recycled in some cases, and in other cases may contain unsafe chemicals. Recycle them properly.
The town's Recycling Center takes nickel cadmium and lithium batteries - see Trash & Recycling, above
Some of these batteries can be recycled at Staples. Here are other options:
Alkaline and Zinc Carbon batteries (e.g. AA, 9 Volt) - they can be put in household trash
Button or coin batteries (e.g. like in certain remote control devices) - take to the town's hazardous waste day
Lithium single use batteries (have "Lithium" label on them) - take to the town's hazardous waste day
Removable rechargeable batteries (like for cordless tools) - take to the town's hazardous waste day
Non-removable rechargeable batteries - look for a retailer that takes them back or a recycler (use search.earth911.com)
Car batteries - give back to retailer or take to the town's hazardous waste day
Books, CDs, DVDs
The public library or St. Paul's on Wood St. drop off bin
Can and Bottle Redemption (the ones with the $.05 or more on the label)
All stores accept items sold at their store, like Price Chopper
Local non-profit collections like the following help raise money for good causes with your returnables:
Senior Center - accepts cans on Saturdays at the recycling center (394 Wood St), or drop them at the bin at the Senior Center anytime
St John the Evangelist/Knights of Columbus/Scouts - collect cans at Ice House Pond the first Saturday of the month - look for signs there (near 50 W Main St.)
Christmas Trees
Children's - also see below for Multiple Items
Facebook group - Hopkinton Mamas - buy, sell, trade kids' toys, books, clothes, furniture etc.
Clothing - see below for Textiles or Multiple Items
Coats - seasonal collection drives
St. John's the Evangelist on Church St. with the Knights of Columbus
Sacred Heart on Main St. in Milford
Consignment Shops
Are a great way to find used items and sell or donate them for others to use - do an online search for locations and hours
Contact Lenses
Expired or unused packs can be recycled at Hopkinton Vision Center or Hopkinton Eye Associates
Electronics Recycling or Trade-in
Drop it off at the town's Recycling Center - see Trash & Recycling, above
At Best Buy: from cables to printers to TVs. Some have a fee and there are daily limits
Staples - recycle for free, everything from ink and toner cartridges to printers, keyboards, and cellphones
Eyeglasses
Donate used eyeglasses via dropboxes in town, sponsored by the Hopkinton Lions Club: see locations here
Furniture - see Multiple items, below
Garden & Lawn
Mulch - free chip mulch from Chipdrop.com - they connect people who need it with people who need to get rid of it (arborists)
Empty plant containers - you can drop them off at Weston Nurseries; there is a sign and a pile of pots next to the garden center where you can add yours (on the east end of the parking lot by the little shed).
You can help us reduce the amount of plastic in landfills by bringing your used pots to the Garden Center. Some pots will be re-used at Weston Nurseries; other pots will be picked up by E.L. Harvey, who will pick up the pots and use them as Plastic for Recycling and process them into new nursery pots. If you are interested in contributing your old or used pots, please remove soil, sand, mulch and rocks and rinse off the pots before bringing them to the garden center and placing them in the designated bins.
Hazardous waste items must be saved and disposed of safely
Especially with this kind of item, buy only what you need, use up what you have, and recycle any leftovers
DPW has a dropoff day each year, usually in July - look for the insert in the Hopkinton Independent or follow Ehop or a similar town group on social media for details
If you can't wait for or be at the town's recycling day, you can use an NEDT for-fee MA drop-off facility in Sutton or Westfield, or schedule them to pick up the materials at your place
Hearing aids
The Texas Hearing Institute will accept used hearing aids to use as teaching aids for demonstrations
Household items - see below for Multiple Items or see Textiles
Legos
Light Bulbs - depends on the type
No light bulbs go into the recycling bin
Florescent bulbs need to go to the town's Recycling Center - see Trash & Recycling, above
Other bulbs go into the trash bin
Local Online Exchanges - to get and give/sell items
Facebook groups:
Craigslist - Boston and Central MA
Mattresses - cannot be put in the trash
In good condition - can be donated (for example to the Central Mass Housing Alliance Clearinghouse)
Green Mattress in Milford has a drop-off option or you can schedule a pickup: they strive to recycle and reuse over 95% of the mattress components
UTEC in Lowell, an organization helping youth with challenges, accepts mattresses and boxsprings: call to pay in advance
Not suitable for reuse - can be taken by junk removal firms (usually for a fee) or dropped off - see Multiple Items, below, and see this list for additional options
When you buy a new mattress, the retailer will often take your old one
Metal aluminum, white metal, and scrap metal are accepted at the town's Recycling Center
See Trash & Recycling, above
Multiple Items if you have more than one type of item to disperse at once or have big, hard to dispose of items:
Our committee sponsors a recycling event every fall where you bring a carload and for a fee, it's dispersed responsibly by Green Team Junk Removal
Local charitable organizations accept items for reuse and some offer pick up
Hopkinton Senior Center often accepts donations - household items, jewelry etc. Call 508-497-9730.
Project Just Because of Hopkinton welcomes food, gently used clothing, household items, and toys; they provide a furniture network to give/get items
Big Brother / Big Sister accepts clothing, toys, household items, instruments, and books - schedule a pickup for when they are in town
Fresh Start Furniture Bank in Hudson accepts kitchen items, linens, lamps, artwork, and furniture in clean and working condition
Habitat for Humanity Restore in Ashland accepts and sells building materials, exercise equipment, furniture, garden tools, and more, which you can drop off or have picked up from your place
Savers accepts and resells many types of items at their locations in Framingham, Marlborough and more
Need someone to come to your place or do you have big items or multiple items? These are for fee services:
Green Team Junk Removal - the service that helps us with the annual recycling event, they ensure the vast majority of items are reused or recycled
Harvey - the town's trash and recycling service can pick up large items: call 800-32-3000
Affordable Junk Removal - takes away your stuff, reselling and recycling what they can
Conigliaro in Framingham accepts mattresses, foam, tires, old sinks, and more
Packaging - foam and peanuts
May be accepted by Storopack, 125 Flanders Road, Westborough, Phone - 800 827 7225 or email packaging.us@storopack.com
- Styrofoam (white, #6) may be accepted at AltorSolutions in Northbridge - 2355 Providence Road, Door #7. Call first - (508) 234-6323
Plastic Bags & Plastic Film Recycling
- Single use plastic bags and stretchy plastic (called film) can be dropped off at the Price Chopper bin (where the cans and bottles are), as well as at other locations
The High School Environmental Club collects film plastic at a drop-off bin in the lobbies of Town Hall, Marty's, and the High School - see details here. Other groups are welcome to contribute to this effort.
Sneakers
- HHS Girl Scout Troop 65294 repurposes sneakers via GotSneakers.com. Take your used sneakers to bins at Jump Start Physical Therapy (Natick), PR Running (Westboro), and Resilience Fitness (Hopkinton)
Donate if still wearable (see Multiple items)
Recycle as a textile if no longer wearable
Sporting Equipment
Ski swap held annually in Westborough where you can sell or buy used equipment
Ask any local amatuer sports team if they can use what you have
Shredded Paper
Do not put shredded paper into your recycling bin - it will clog up the machinery. Options:
If just one part of a page is sensitive, tear it off and compost it or burn it or shred just that.
Use a home shredder.
Burn paper in your woodstove or fireplace or firepit but be sure not to burn anything with plastic (sometimes part of the envelope or an insert in a mailing or a cover).
Use Staples or other fee-based shredders.
Sometimes, a bank or other company or event will include shredding. For example, Middlesex Savings Bank offered free shredding in Westborough one day in the summer of 2023. Follow our events page or social media postings to find out where and when. Let us know if you know of any.
Soda Stream CO2 Cylinders
Recycle at Staples for no cost
Textiles - Clothing etc. - cannot be put in the trash
Drop off bins around Hopkinton accept textiles including these bins, and many more
Middle School bins near the water towers - proceeds going to the PTO
St. Paul's on Wood St
The HCA (Hopkinton Center for the Arts) has a shed (at the end of the parking lot on Hopkins Rd.) where you can donate gently used clothing and textiles for redistribution worldwide in conjunction with St. Paulys, who will also make a donation to the HCA
Used clothes and shoes can be returned to participating retailers like H&M, Zappos, Patagonia, and more
Helpsy will collect textiles from your home - schedule a pickup once you have 3 bags worth
For pillows, the down can be composted, then the case is recycled as a textile. For foam, the whole pillow should be recycled as a textile.
Tires
The Central Mass mosquito control project will pick up tires because they collect water and serve as breeding habitats. See this page for details. It includes a link to a form to request curbside pickup. For residents only - up to 8 tires a year, not businesses.
Toys and Stuffed Animals
New Day Syria accepts many items, including games and stuffed animals at drop off locations including one in Shrewsbury
Yard and Rummage Sales are great places to get and to give
Hopkinton Lions Club holds a community yard sale every May - contact them to sell your items or attend to buy items
Other non-profit organizations in town regularly hold rummage sales at their facilities including St. John's on Church St, Historical Society and more - look for lawn signs, notices in the local papers, and social media postings
More info and Options
Check out the Hopkinton Public Library where you can borrow not only physical and online books and AV recordings but all kinds of things - try something before you buy it, or borrow it if you only need it occasionally
Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Find a place to donate nearly anything at Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory
EL Harvey can pick up items - call 800-321-3000
Repair
Rather than discard things that are no longer in the condition you need, try repairing them
See how your recylables are processed