The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced that over 31,000 tons of plastic, paper, metals and glass were recycled during 2011 by seventy-seven western Massachusetts municipalities.
The recyclables were processed at the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), a public facility owned by the MassDEP and operated by Waste Management Recycle America (WMRA).
Energy and Environment affairs secretary Richard K Sullivan said diverting the materials saves on the energy on extraction of resources to produce the paper and plastic used day-to-day and is beneficial to residents of the state.
Recyclable materials are sold to end markets after they are sorted, and made into hardcover book board, game board, new metal cans, polyester fiber from plastic bottles, and even new recycling bins.
MassDEP commissioner Kenneth Kimmell said the municipalities utilizing the Springfield MRF see first-hand the environmental and economic benefits of recycling.
"We encourage all western Massachusetts residents to participate fully in their local recycling programs," added Kimmell.
MassDEP was set up the MRF in 1989 to help reduce waste, divert landfill materials and encourage the re-use of recyclable materials.
