Word has trickled out about the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s Reusables Area opening this week, and we stopped by on Thursday to treasure hunt.

As it turns out, I took only photos and left only footprints. A Bottle Blast beach game set was tempting, but missing part of a pole.

I did make a couple of celebrity sightings—Both E.T. and Elmo were in the house!

As were volunteers (thank you!) and a couple of regular shoppers that I recognized but didn’t dare interfere with.

I did hear one patron say to a volunteer: “I’m surprised you’ve already got so much good stuff!”

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School supplies swap at RDF

Bring your gently used school supplies in good condition (folders, markers, scissors, plastic binders, sheets, etc.) to the Reusables Area at the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility for the next few weeks. While you’re there, if you need supplies, take what you need.

It’s a casual affair, so if you see supplies you need but you didn’t bring anything to donate, no worries. The point is to keep as much out of the landfill as possible. So you’re doing the environment a favor by helping yourself to whatever supplies or your family needs to help ensure back-to-school success. Sponsored by Sustainable Wellesley and the RDF.

The Reusables Area hours are Wednesday, 7am-11:30am and Thursday-Saturday from 7am- 3pm. It is CLOSED Sunday through Tuesday. Hours to drop off your recycling, trash, yard waste and more are longer. Full information on RDF hours here.

Walk, bike, roll to school day is Oct. 12

Get ready to participate in walk, bike and roll to school day on Wednesday, Oct. 12. It’s a healthy, safe, and fun way to start the school year. If enough people participate, the event also potentially reduces traffic and emissions in town for the day.

Wellesley’s elementary schools — Bates, Fiske, Hardy, Schofield, Sprague, and Upham — are regular participants in the yearly effort, as are the middle and high schools.

Take the school bus

Seats are still available on some Wellesley Public Schools bus routes. Email WPS Transportation Director Deane McGoldrick at mcgoldrickd@wellesleyps.org

How to get the bus for free

• due to the Hunnewell Swing Space project, all Hunnewell students may receive school bus transportation to their assigned schools at no cost, per School Committee policy for SY22-23.
• if you live two or more miles from the school and your public school child is in kindergarten–6th grade, there is no fee by state law.

For the 2022-23 school year, bus service for your grade 7-12 kids who live under two miles from their school is $500 per student. Upham students are not eligible for bus service.

Barring unexpected bad weather, the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s (RDF) Reusables Area is slated to reopen on Friday, April 8.

For the lowdown on what’s acceptable to drop off at the area, see the RDF’s guidelines. Visitors are requested to spend no more than 30 minutes at a time there in order to give others a fair shake at the treasures donated.

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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.

Accepted hazardous household waste items

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