by MEC | Feb 4, 2025 | Initiatives, Scholarship
The Mashpee Environmental Coalition is pleased to announce that their scholarship will again be offered to one or more qualified Mashpee High School seniors. This scholarship aims to assist students who are dedicated to helping the environment and who plan to continue their education beyond high school. Past scholarship recipients have pursued degrees at Amherst College, Colby-Sawyer College, Northern Arizona University, Tufts University, and UMass-Amherst in programs such as environmental science and forestry.
Scholarship qualifications, applications, and deadlines are available through the Mashpee Middle High School scholarship website and the MMHS Guidance Department. All qualified seniors are encouraged to apply.
by MEC | Sep 4, 2024 | Initiatives, Recycling
The August 17, 2024 Textile Recycling Drive sponsored by the Mashpee Environmental Coalition (MEC) was a great success, with 3,000 lbs. of textiles dropped off in a 4-hour period. As an added plus, the combined Household Hazardous Waste, Textile Recycling, and Shredding Event received front page coverage in the Mashpee Enterprise.
Since August 2023, MEC has held three textile drives – keeping 8,750 lbs. in total out of our landfills – with up to 95% reused or repurposed. Since it is now illegal in Massachusetts for textiles to be discarded in the trash, MEC plans to sponsor textile drives twice each year — in April for Earth Day, and in August combined with the county’s Household Hazardous Waste collection. Once the April 2025 date is confirmed, it will be widely advertised to members, throughout the Internet, and across town.
by MEC | Mar 20, 2024 | Initiatives, Recycling
For Earth Day 2024, the Mashpee Environmental Coalition is partnering with the Mashpee Department of Public Works on a combined effort to help reduce waste. A free event — Textile Recycling, Secure Shredding, and Composting — will take place on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 9am to 1pm at the Mashpee Senior Center, 26 Frank E Hicks Drive. An information sheet can be accessed here.
Since it is now illegal to discard any clothing or textiles in the trash, residents can drop off bags of unwanted, torn, ripped, and stained items including bedding, footwear, handbags, tablecloths, towels, and even stuffed animals – as long as they are clean and dry.
A secure shredding company will also be onsite to safely destroy documents with personal and confidential information.
And given the fact that approximately 30% of household trash is food waste, FREE kitchen scrap buckets will be distributed by the Mashpee Department of Public Works along with information about the Town’s food waste collection at the Transfer Station and/or how to compost at home. Home compost bins (Earth Machine) will also be available for purchase.
by MEC | Sep 4, 2023 | Initiatives, Recycling
MEC’s Textile Recycling Drive on Saturday, August 19th was a success, thanks to all who donated! Between 9am and 1pm on Saturday, August 19th, while cars and trucks continuously streamed through the parking lot at Mashpee Middle-High School to drop off their household hazardous waste products with the Barnstable County staff, close to 60 residents stopped by the MEC-sponsored Bay State Textile trailer and dropped off 2,250 lbs of unwanted textiles.
Our thanks to Mashpee DPW for supporting our efforts — and to everyone who participated by keeping their hazardous waste products out of our waters, and their textiles out of our trash!
by MEC | Jul 9, 2023 | Initiatives, Recycling
The Mashpee Environmental Coalition (MEC) has joined forces with the Mashpee Department of Public Works in an effort to promote textile recycling. Several MEC board members met recently with Catherine Laurent of the Mashpee DPW to discuss how best to get information to residents regarding the now-mandatory recycling of all types of clothing and textiles. An information sheet as well as a new sandwich board sign at the Transfer Station both outline items that, as of November 1, 2022, must now be recycled and not discarded. A Textile Drive, sponsored by MEC, has also been scheduled for Saturday, August 19, 2023, between 9:00am and 1:00pm at the Mashpee Middle/High School in conjunction with the Barnstable County Upper Cape Household Hazardous Waste Collection event.
