Recycling

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Recycling

Our partners in the City of Newton have developed student-friendly signage to encourage recycling in our classrooms and buildings. To order trash/recycling/food scrap signs and for other related questions, please visit the City of Newton Recycling Webpage. Or, you can email them directly.

Textile

Newton Public Schools has a contract with Helpsy, a for-profit B Corp committed to changing the way people think about clothing donations. Helpsy collects unwanted textiles, including shoes, for reuse and recycling. In Newton, using Helpsy bins to collect unwanted textiles helps Newton do the following:

Comply with the Massachusetts ban on disposal of textiles in the waste stream
Meet environmental and waste reduction goals
Generate a modest amount of revenue to support stipended Green Team Leader positions in all schools

For the period July 2022 through December 2024, a total of 824,333 pounds of unwanted textiles have been collected in the bins and diverted from the waste stream. This translates to a total of $90,676.63 in revenue to support sustainability in our schools!

To make donations easy and convenient for Newton residents, Helpsy textile collection bins are located at several school buildings throughout the city. Bin locations were selected in coordination with school principals, the Parks and Recreation department, and the facilities department. The locations were selected to ensure the bins were easy to access, service, and clear, but would not interfere with school operations or block visibility for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Bin locations may be shifted as needed due to construction or as new locations are identified. Find a bin on the Helpsy website.

To view a list of acceptable items that may be placed in the bins, please visit the Helpsy website.

For questions, please contact Stephanie Gilman at 617-559-9029 or call the Facilities Office at 617-559-9000.

Please see below for answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Frequently Asked Questions - Textile Recycling

Why have the bins been placed at schools?

At which schools are the bins located?

Can the bins be moved to different locations on the school grounds?

Yes, the bins can be relocated on school grounds if there is a safety or operational issue. We have worked closely with the NPS facilities department, school principals, and the City of Newton Parks and Recreation to reach consensus on bin location at each school. The bins have been situated to avoid interference with the safe operations of our school buildings. They have intentionally been located for visibility and access, while also avoiding disrupting school operations and access, including school entrances, driveways, and Blue Zones.

We will review bin locations over this summer (2022) and will likely be adding a few additional locations before the end of the summer.

Are the bins going to be there permanently?

What items are acceptable for donation?

To know what items can be deposited into the bins, please visit Helpsy website for a list of acceptable items. Please note that all clean and dry textiles are acceptable, even if they are not desirable for reuse. Shirts with holes, worn out sheets, tattered drapes, and shoes with no tread are all accepted items. These items have value – they are shredded and recycled for industrial purposes.

Do the donations generate a profit?

Who do I call if there is a problem with a bin?

Can we still use the Helpsy curbside textile collection program through DPW?

Newton Public Schools Expands Sustainability Efforts with Districtwide Kitchen Food Scrap Collection

image of a food scrap bin in a school cafeteria kitchen

Newton Public Schools is proud to announce a recent sustainability initiative now in place across all 21 school kitchens in the district. Food service staff have been trained to separate food scraps (including leftover food, expired items, and inedible food parts) into designated collection bins. These materials are now collected daily and picked up weekly, significantly reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill. In addition, as part of this effort, kitchen recycling has been optimized to capture more containers made of plastic, glass, or metal.

This back-of-house program launched in August 2025 and was successfully implemented by January 2026. This initiative was made possible through the leadership and collaboration between the NPS Business Office and Chartwells K12, NPS Sustainability, NPS Facilities, and our City Sustainability partners. A team - Andy Gluck (retired Underwood Building Aide, Green Team Captain, and avid environmentalist), Allison Kelley (Newton Waste Diversion Coordinator), Bobby Fleming (NPS Facilities Manager), and Nicole Brooks (Chartwells Assistant Director of Dining Services) - conducted on-site visits at each school providing hands-on training to both food service staff and custodial teams to ensure proper sorting of food scraps and recyclables. This initiative will have a positive impact on the environment and reflects our district’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and responsible waste management.

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Textile

Frequently Asked Questions - Textile Recycling

Why have the bins been placed at schools?

At which schools are the bins located?

Can the bins be moved to different locations on the school grounds?

Are the bins going to be there permanently?

What items are acceptable for donation?

Do the donations generate a profit?

Who do I call if there is a problem with a bin?

Can we still use the Helpsy curbside textile collection program through DPW?

Newton Public Schools Expands Sustainability Efforts with Districtwide Kitchen Food Scrap Collection

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