Waste

Waste generated in Wellesley is a product of our resourcefulness as much as our consumption habits. Re-directing material towards regenerative, or circular, flows, - reducing, reusing, and recycling rather than sending it to landfills - lessens the demand for ever-more resource extraction.

Waste handled by the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility (RDF) is sent to landfills, where greenhouse gases - namely, methane - are generated from the breakdown of organic matter, primarily food waste. Waste managed by private haulers is likely to go to a waste-to-energy facility, where waste is incinerated. Incineration of plastics in particular, is a major source of GHGs from the waste sector across Massachusetts.

Click here to view climate goals, strategies, and actions for Wellesley’s Waste pathway.