For more than 16 years the Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycling Center, run by the nonprofit organization, Wachusett Earth Day, has quietly grown from a two-trailer operation into a vital community resource serving seven Central Massachusetts towns. What began as a modest effort has expanded steadily, reflecting both increasing demand and a deepening commitment to sustainability.

At its core, Wachusett Earth Day works to provide education and opportunities for the environmentally sound reuse, recycling, and proper disposal of household products, furniture, and the occasional hazardous waste management in support of a healthy watershed community.

Volunteers at Wachusett Earthday, Mark Hopewell (left) and Paul Wester Photo by Riley Frankian

 That mission is reflected in both policy and practice. While there are small drop-off fees ranging from one dollar for common items to more costly heavy construction material, the Recycling Center emphasizes accessibility and community benefit. 

Residents of Boylston, Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Sterling, and West Boylston rely on the center as a place not only to recycle, but to rethink how materials are used. The volunteer-run facility accepts a wide range of items at an affordable cost and offers them back out to the community for free or at a reduced price. When space runs thin and materials need to be disposed of, specialized companies like The Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) help to ensure proper disposal when necessary.

The operation is possible through a combination of service fees, municipal support, grants, and donations, allowing it to balance sustainability with accessibility. While fees help cover the cost of handling and responsibly disposing of materials, additional funding has allowed the organization to expand its reuse capabilities and improve operations over time. 

Norma Chanis and Mark Koslowske oversee the operation and work closely with a dedicated team of volunteers to keep the center running efficiently while expanding its impact across the community. 

Unlike a transfer station, the center does not accept household trash or yard waste. Instead, its mission is more focused: divert usable and recyclable materials away from landfills and protect the region’s water supply. 

“The ultimate goal is to stop things we take in from ending up at the dump or the water supply in our communities,” said Koslowske.

The more difficult to recycle items such as electronics, mattresses, tires, and bulky plastics are sorted at the center by hand. These materials, which people often improperly dispose of due to limited local options, are sent to specialized facilities through CHaRM, even though it comes at a cost to the center. This collaboration allows the organization to expand what it can accept while staying true to its mission of keeping harmful waste out of landfills and the local watershed.

“We charge people for dropping off to cover costs and task ourselves with giving out what we can for free to help the community,” Chanis explained.

Inside the main “ReUse” building, many items are free for visitors to take, while a small corner of the building functions like a shop, offering select goods for purchase. 

Furniture reuse has become one of the center’s most impactful initiatives, made possible through a combination of state grants secured through the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Early funding during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the center to continue accepting and storing reusable items while supporting furniture banks that were helping families transition out of shelters. 

Building on that momentum, a larger grant funded the construction of a dedicated Furniture Pavilion, which significantly expanded the storage capacity. What once amounted to roughly 300 salvaged pieces per year has since grown into more than 6,000 pieces of furniture as well as 1,500 large household items redistributed in just two years. All of this helped to keep usable goods from being needlessly wasted. 

When asked to recall a specific instance that encapsulates what the facility is all about, Chanis said, “It’s hard to pick just one” pointing to the constant flow of stories that capture the center’s spirit of reuse.

The impact of the center goes beyond numbers. Items dropped off often find second lives in unexpected ways. For example, the center once received an unfamiliar item that, after some research, turned out to be an antique corn shucker that was later sent to a museum in Connecticut. 

Visitors regularly take items and materials and repurpose them into something completely different than their intended use. Pots and pans have been donated to wildlife sanctuaries or even used to create a mud kitchen for kids to play with. 

With such a multifaceted operation, the company relies on its volunteers to help make things happen. Each volunteer brings both helping hands and a unique set of skills that keep the operation running. 

“Tapping into talents” is essential, Chanis noted, especially as the center processes an average of 2,000 pounds of material each day.

The diverse and dedicated volunteer base brings specialized skills, whether it is repairing electronics, sorting textiles, safely handling hazardous materials, or contributions behind the scenes with data entry or website management.

As Earth Day approaches, the center’s message to the community is simple but urgent: small actions matter. Whether it is recycling properly, repurposing items, or supporting their local sustainability efforts, every little bit counts toward protecting the shared environment. With that in mind, local community members are encouraged to sign up and volunteer through the organization’s website: https://www.wachusettearthday.org

Frequent updates can be found on the official Facebook page, “Wachusett Earthday, Inc.”

Doing their part to ensure that reusable materials are not treated as waste, the Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycling Center stands as a model of what environmental stewardship can be, proving that with the help of community support, even small efforts can lead to meaningful change.  W