More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
The Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) will hold a hazardous household waste collection & document shredding event on Sunday, September 12, 9am – 3pm, at 169 Great Plain Ave.
Only Wellesley residents may participate in the event.
Read the complete procedures for Hazardous Household Waste and for Document Shredding.
Happy Labor Day weekend, Wellesley. Here’s what’s closed on and around this upcoming Monday, September 6th federal holiday.
Schools —closed on Monday, September 6 and on Tuesday, September 7 for Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah observances.
The Recycling and Disposal Facility — closed Monday, September 6
Libraries — closed Saturday, September 4 – Monday, September 6
Town Hall and town offices — closed at noon on Friday, September 3 – Monday, September 6
Note: Town Hall summer hours end after Labor Day. Regular hours for the building are Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. (Schedules vary by department, so check department webpages for the most up-to-date hours.)
Tolles Parsons Center — closed Monday, September 6 (also closed Saturday and Sunday, as usual)
Post offices — closed Monday, September 6
Banks — closed Monday, September 6
Liquor stores — open at owner’s discretion
MBTA — operating on a Sunday schedule. View all schedules here.
Bars, restaurants, retail — open, regular hours/owner’s discretion
We stop by the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF), affectionately known around town as “the dump,” on a regular basis ostensibly to keep things tidy in the garage. But our weekly visit is so much more than just a way to dispose of trash and deal with our recyclables. Going to the dump is part chore, part fun. We never know what we’ll find—a discarded rose of sharon, root ball intact, while we’re tossing our yard waste; the very book we need for next month’s book group; or almost the entire contents of our swell office.
Here are a few Wellesley RDF summer pics, just in case you’re away and miss the old place.
There’s always a face palm at the end of the trip. What did we forget to bring this time? Dammit. The food waste. Again. We keep leaving it behind in the freezer. So now there’s officially more garbage in our freezer than consumable food. Oh well. Next week.
Monday – Wednesday: 7am-noon
Thursday – Saturday: 7am-3:45pm
Sunday: 10am-3pm
Safely dispose of your used paint at the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility‘s (RDF) paint drop-off area on Thursday, September 2, 3pm – 6pm.
The following materials are accepted: interior and exterior latex paint, interior and exterior oil-based alkyd paint, and solidified paint.
Materials that are not accepted are: creosote and turpentine, other solvents, and unmarked containers. These materials may be brought to the RDF on Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, which is to be announced.
There will be one more paint drop-off day this year on October 7, 3pm – 6pm, and then paint recycling will resume in spring 2022.
Paint is available for the taking from the shed during regular RDF hours except 3pm – 6pm on scheduled paint drop-off days.
Empty cans of paint can be disposed of in the regular household trash. The empty metal cans cannot be recycled due to the high level of paint contamination. If a gallon of paint is less than 3/4 full, dry the paint out by mixing it with kitty litter. Once it is dry, dispose of it with the regular household trash.
Mon. – Wed.: 7am – noon
Thur., Fri., Sat.: 7am – 3:45pm
Sun: 10am – 3pm
We always enjoy our adventures to the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) because we never know what we might find. During a recent foray we noticed something unusual not at the treasure trove that is the Reusables Area, but over at the construction debris pile. There, standing at attention, was a 3-ft. tall statue of a U.S. soldier in combat uniform. The base of the statue reads, “Honor and Bravery.”
The polyresin-constructed military man was much the worse for the wear, and it seemed obvious that the RDF was his last stop. A online search showed that such statues are easily available in the $100 – $150 range. We imagine this soldier stood proudly out in the elements for a long time before he finally got to the RDF.
At ease, soldier, and thank you for your service.
Although the next pic isn’t a dump find, in keeping with the military theme of this post, I’ll share that below are the spent shells from dad’s military funeral seven years ago. A standard part of any military funeral is the ceremonial shooting of three volleys in honor of the deceased. The spent shell casings are then presented to the family.
One year on dad’s birthday Mr. Swellesley and I went out to dinner, and my fortune cookie said, “Courage comes through suffering.” I don’t typically believe in messages from beyond, but this fortune was so accurate that there was no tossing it out with the leftover lo mein. There was only one place for these words—on display with our family’s final reminders that service to country can bring lifelong challenges.
The Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) will hold its next monthly paint collection day on Thur., June 3, 3pm – 6pm, at the Recycling and Disposal Facility paint shed.
The following materials are accepted: interior and exterior latex paint, oil based alkyd paint, and solidified paint. Materials that are not accepted are: creosote and turpentine, other solvents and unmarked containers. These materials may be brought to the RDF on Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, which is to be announced.
Paint is available for the taking from the shed during regular RDF hours except 3pm-6pm on the scheduled paint drop-off day. Stop be the RDF office for assistance.
Empty cans of paint can be disposed of in the regular household trash. The empty metal cans cannot be recycled due to the high level of paint contamination. If a container of paint is less than 3/4 full, dry the paint out by mixing it with kitty litter. Once it is dry, dispose of it with the regular household trash.
Wellesley residents can drop off food waste into the bins located in the trash compactor area. The food waste drop-off initiative has been a permanent and voluntary town program since 2019. Residents do not need to sign up. Just put your food waste in compostable bags, which are available at Green’s Hardware, Roche Bros., Whole Foods, and on Amazon.
The food waste is brought to an anaerobic digester where it is turned into biogas and converted into electricity.
Acceptable items are food scraps, fruits and vegetables, meats (both cooked and raw), eggs, dairy, baked goods, tea bags, coffee grounds, paper towels, and napkins.
Unacceptable items are recyclables, cooking oil, cups, cartons, and yard waste
The program was put into place by the Department of Public Works, the Natural Resources Commission, and the Sustainable Energy Committee as part of the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Working Group.
More on the Food Waste program.
Mon-Wed: 7am-noon
Thur-Sat: 7am-3:45pm
Sun: 10am-3pm
The RDF has a rotating schedule of drop-off only days and shopping-only days.
Sun., Mon., Tue., Wed.—Reusables Area is closed
Thursdays: 7am-3pm, drop-off only
Fridays: 7am-3pm, shopping only
Saturdays, 7am-3pm dropping & shopping
10-minute shopping limit
Safely shred sensitive documents during the RDF’s document destruction event on Sun., May 16, 10am-3pm.
Due to COVID, the rules are pretty strict. If the below procedures can’t be met, hold onto your documents until the next time, when hopefully things will have loosened up a bit.
The Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility‘s Reusables Area has reopened.
Similar to last year, the RDF has instituted a rotating schedule of drop-off only days and shopping only days.
Sun., Mon., Tue., Wed.—Reusables Area is closed
Thursdays: 7am-3pm, drop-off only
Fridays: 7am-3pm, shopping only
Saturdays, 7am-3pm dropping & shopping
10-minute shopping limit
Mon-Wed: 7am-noon
Thur-Sat: 7am-3:45pm
Sun: 10am-3pm
