by Kristy Esch

Though the city of Boston makes it mandatory for large apartment building owners to provide recycling services to its residents, curbside recycling is voluntary for everyone else. This isn't stopping Bostonians, though, who help divert close to 40,000 tons of recyclables from going into landfills each year.

Susan Cascino, recycling director of Boston's Public Works Department, says it's given approximately 30,000 blue bins to residents, which doesn't include bins purchased by large apartment building owners. "We don't provide extra bins, but people can purchase their own and can call us to get free recycling stickers to identify them," Cascino says.

Boston's recycling program differs from many other city programs because they collect 30 items from the curb, including household paper, plastics numbered 1 through 7, TVs, computer monitors, refrigerators and air conditioners. "People should call us if they have electronics or household appliances, and we'll come pick them up," Cascino says. She warns that people should avoid putting their recyclables in plastic bags. "They also need to flatten cardboard boxes, which shouldn't be any larger than 3 feet by 3 feet."

As for the future of the program, Cascino says they hope to see an increase in recycling efforts. For more information, call 617-635-4959 or visit cityofboston.gov/publicworks/recyclingandsanitation for more information.