The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley newcomers: Getting a Recycling & Disposal Facility (RDF) sticker

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We remember what it was like to be a newbie in town. So we’ve started a semi-regular column designed to help Wellesley’s new blood navigate daily life here.

You may have heard about the town’s volunteer-run Reusables Area, aka, Give & Take, at the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility (RDF) before you moved here. Some, like us, have furnished part of every room in our home with dump finds. We also have recycled some finds, plus other extras from our house, back at the RDF.

wellelsey rdf give and take opening week

We’ve even been known to get artsy at the RDF.

The Give & Take area is complemented by a book exchange on your way out of the facility.

Dump, books section
Oh, joy, when one of the Summer Reading books turns up at the RDF book swap section.

 

To gain access to the RDF some would say you just drive in at 169 Great Plain Ave. (Rte. 135) just before the Needham line and have at it. But the RDF is only open to Wellesley residents and businesses, and you technically need to get a free sticker for any vehicle you plan to drive there.

You can so online, and via an app. The town invested in a verification system that reads license plates to try to help the RDF ensure only those with stickers use the facility, and to inform residents who don’t have stickers how to get them.

Once you’re in, the RDF guides you to toss your recyclables and trash into specific bins.

RDF new signs

We’re perhaps burying the lead here that Wellesley doesn’t provide trash pickup. Many residents, much to the chagrin of the Wellesley Public Works Department, choose to hire private haulers to take away their stuff. Some just don’t have time to get to the RDF, some cannot for various reasons, and some argue that making a bunch of trips back and forth the RDF isn’t great for the environment.

But the RDF encourages all residents and businesses in town to take advantage of what the RDF offers. What’s more, using the RDF helps the town generate revenue through its recycling.

The RDF also provides special services, such as taking your old paint and your hazardous materials. Document shredding is sometimes offered, too.

Hours of Operation for Residents

Monday through Wednesday: 7:00 am to 12:00 pm

Thursday, Friday, Saturday:  7:00 am to 3:45 pm

Sundays (April through November): 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Commercial Scale Hours

Monday through Saturday: 7:30 am to 11:30 am

rdf rainbows
Photo courtesy of Alan Dittrich
     

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Wellesley newcomers: How to volunteer

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We remember what it was like to be a newbie in town. So we’ve started a semi-regular column designed to help Wellesley’s new blood navigate daily life here.

Wellesley is a town that runs on volunteers. The 240 elected members of Town Meeting vote on Wellesley’s budget, zoning, bylaws, and and other business on the first Tuesday of March every year. The five-member Select Board, also an elected body, is responsible for all matters that affect the interests of the Wellesley. And there are a couple dozen boards and committees in charge of everything from Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, to historical initiatives, to wetlands protection.

Wellesley Town Hall
Wellesley Town Hall in bloom

Boards and committees that may need your enthusiasm and skill

  • Advisory Committee
  • Assessors Board
  • Audit Committee
  • Community Preservation Committee

Some of the above are appointed standing committees. Some are appointed special committees. Some are elected boards and officials.

To get your can-do spirit on the radar of those who make appointments, fill out the Town of Wellesley volunteer form.

In addition, there are multiple ways to volunteer through Wellesley’s public schools, as well as dozens of charitable and community action groups.

So dive right in. Wellesley needs you.

Page Waterman, Natick
London Harness, Wellesley
Longfellow, Wellesley

Wellesley newcomers: Request museum passes from the library

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Museum passes from Wellesley Free Library can save you a bunch of money on attractions across the state from art museums to state parks. Knock $17 off a Museum of Fine Arts admission, for example, or save $25 on a Boston Harbor Islands ferry pass (2 for 1 pricing).

You’ll need to have a library card within the Minuteman Library Network, and Wellesley residents are given priority when it comes to passes from the Wellesley libraries.

Most passes are now digital and don’t need to be physically picked up or returned, but you may need to take different steps in securing various passes, submitting codes when reserving timed reservations, for example.

Wellesley residents and town employees can reserve passes up to 60 days in advance, a good strategy to use if plotting out school vacation activities (note there are restrictions on how many passes you can reserve during school vacation).

Passes are made available through funding by the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries.

If you get shut out of passes at Wellesley Free Library for a certain attraction on a certain day, you can try securing passes from nearby libraries, including Morse Institute Library in Natick.

Hokusai MFA 2023 visit
We used a Museum of Fine Arts pass for discounted admission in 2023 to see the Hokusai exhibit & more

Wellesley newcomers: Let us know what you want to know at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com