Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 20, 2020 MVES to continue Meals on Wheels program By Christopher Roberson A midst of the chaos and disruption caused by COVID-19, Mystic Valley Elder Services (MVES) has vowed to continue its Meals on Wheels program. “Be assured, MVES will always let consumers know if services will be interrupted, reduced or cannot be delivered,” said MVES Spokesperson Shawn Middleton. “We are delivering extra shelf-stable meals to our consumers.” He also said MVES is considering the possibility of providing consumers with enough nonperishable food to last one week in the event of a shortfall in delivery personnel. “If our staff or consumers are not feeling well, there may be a temporary interruption or reduction in services,” said Middleton. Although MVES has temporarily suspended its home visitation service, staff members continue to be available over the phone. “Our staff is working either in the offi ce or remotely and can reach out to our consumers at any point and our consumers can reach their care manager when needed,” said Middleton. “Our care managers are calling them on a regular basis to assess their well-being and need for services.” JRM tightens recycling rules By Barbara Taormina T he City of Malden is trying to improve its track record on residential recycling before a major change to curbside collection kicks in on April 6. Flyers on proper recycling are going out with April water bills, notices have been posted on diff erent websites and this week Communications Director Ron Cochran moderated an online community forum about recycling with Public Works Director Bob Knox and Solid Waste Inspector Steve Prince. “We’re here to discuss a problem with contamination in our recycling,” said Knox. “Right now, we are having a high rate of trash mixed in with recycling, or plastic bags or Styrofoam, which are all things that are not acceptable in the recycling market,” said Knox. JRM Hauling & Recycling Services has told the city that, starting on April 6, they will leave any contaminated or improperly packaged recycling on the curb. “JRM is going to clamp down on us big time for contaminated recycling,” said Prince. Cochran highlighted the new Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) guide to recycling fl yer that has been translated into seven different languages and will soon be arriving with water bills. The fl yer, which JRM feels addressed its needs, is a simple outline of what can and can’t be recycled. Cochran ran through the acceptable recyclables beginning with food and beverage 505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family cans that must be emptied and rinsed. “I think the guideline with emptied and rinsed is we’re not asking you to drive up your water bill trying to make them spotless, but they should be as clean as possible,” he said. Plastic bottles, jugs, jars and tubs are recyclable, and they also need to be clean and empty, and if there’s a cap it should be screwed onto the container. The same instructions apply to glass bottles and jars. The city currently has dual-stream recycling, which means paper needs to be separated from metals, plastic and glass. Mixed paper, newspapers, magazines and cardboard boxes need to be emptied and fl attened for pick up. Cochran said greasy pizza boxes are the big problem with paper recyclables. “It’s a great example of how a piece of cardboard can go from perfectly recyclable to contaminated,” he said, adding that residents should rip off the top of the box, which is often marked with grease, and recycle the rest as long as there are no traces of food. The fl yer also lists things that cannot be recycled. At the top of that list is plastic bags fi lled with clean plastic and glass containers. Although everything in the bag might be acceptable, it’s disqualifi ed by the bag, which isn’t. Empty plastic bags, plastic wrap and tanglers, like wire and hoses, are also unacceptable because they jam up the machines that separate items at JRM’s recycling plant. Food and liquid, clothing and linens are also not recyclable. “That’s where we are right now; we have to clean it up and recycle properly,” said Knox, adding that the city’s contract with JRM allows them to leave contaminated or improperly recycled materials on the curb. “We as a city do not want to see that happen; we’ve worked hard to get the streets clean,” added Knox. When the city signed its contract with JRM 10 years ago, it included free dual-stream recycling. Back then, the market for recyclable material was strong and JRM often picked up everything – paper, metal, plastic and glass – and brought it to its Greenworks recycling center for sorting. Now, however, recycling is a troubled industry and JRM is holding Malden to its contract, which requires paper and cardboard to be separate from otherwise clean recyclables. The City Council is now reviewing a new trash collection program that would include single-stream recycling that skips the sorting. As part of the proposed program, all households would receive a 32-gallon recycling toter with a cover. Knox and Prince fielded questions from viewers about specific items, such as cans with paper labels, corks and textiles, which can now be recycled through a separate program with curbside pickup. Cochran demonstrated how to use Waste Wizard, a search tool on the city’s trash collection webpage where residents can enter any item and receive instructions on how to dispose of it. Type in “stove” and you get instructions on White Goods collection. Waste Wizard lets users know that maple syrup bottles and juice boxes go in blue Pay-As-YouThrow trash bags along with ceramics, pumpkins and human hair. Aluminum foil, egg cartons, envelopes with windows and phone books can all be recycled. “The first week will be a painful one,” said Cochran, who urged residents to recycle properly and share information with neighbors. Knox said the city is trying to get the message out to get ahead of problems that will emerge with the stricter recycling rules. “On April 6, DPW staff will be out with Inspector Prince to help educate residents,” said Knox. “We’ve dealt with this before when we started Pay-As-YouThrow; we’ll get through this together.” Temple Emmanuel shuts down due to COVID-19 D In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today ue to the currently changing guidelines for the community’s safety from local and national government in dealing with COVID-19, Temple Emmanuel will cancel all religious, educational and social events for March and April, including Passover services and Community Seder. Questions can be sent to Rabbi Greg Hersh or President Evan Pressman at 781-245-1886 or info@ Wakefi eldTemple.org. Staying aware and vigilant with our health and well-being is paramount as we get through this together.
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