Reframing the Waste Hierarchy

When it comes to reducing waste, recycling is important—but it’s actually the last step before throwing something away. The most effective way to protect our environment is to refuse items you don’t need, reduce what you buy and use, and reuse products whenever possible.

Refusing a plastic straw, buying only what you need, repairing instead of replacing, or giving unwanted items a second life through the Eastham Swap Shop all help conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and save energy.

Every item that never becomes trash is one less item to transport, process, or dispose of. By putting the first three Rs into practice every day, we can make an even bigger impact than recycling alone.

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Simple First Steps in The Power of Refusing

From Ecological Market, here are some easy items to refuse:

Turn down free handouts (like flyers, free coupons, magazines, swag bags, etc.). You can take a picture of most of these items with your phone, and swag bags are generally full of marketing material that you really don’t need. Every time you take these free items, you create a demand for more. 

Disposable utensils. Bring your silverware from home, or get a travel set of cutlery.

Junk Mail. The USPS provides excellent information for refusing unwanted mail and removing your name from mailing lists.

Plastic and bioplastic straws. Bioplastic straws are theoretically compostable, but they often land in the trash because municipal composting facilities are ill-equipped to compost bioplastic. We recommend a bamboo straw instead.

Plastic bags. Try a reusable string bag or a market basket.

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Why Reducing Trash Helps Keep Transfer Station Costs Down

Every bag of trash we throw away has a cost. Unlike many recyclable materials, which can generate revenue or cost less to process, solid waste must be hauled off Cape to the SEMASS Waste-to-Energy Facility for disposal. As disposal and transportation costs continue to rise, every additional ton of trash increases the Town’s expenses. The most effective way to reduce these costs is to create less waste in the first place by refusing unnecessary items, reducing what we buy, reusing what we can, recycling correctly, and composting food scraps.

The growing cost of trash disposal was one of the factors behind the Proposition 2½ override approved at the 2026 Eastham Annual Town Meeting. While many budget expenses are beyond the Town’s control, the amount of trash we generate is something we can change. Every pound of waste we keep out of the trash helps reduce disposal costs and benefits our community.

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Reduce: Refill Stores, BYOC, and More

Reducing waste starts with small, everyday choices. Many local coffee shops participate in a Bring Your Own Cup program, helping reduce the number of disposable cups that end up in the trash. You can also shop at local refill stores for items like spices, dry goods, and cleaners, avoiding single-use plastic containers.

At home, look for simple swaps that cut down on waste. Replace paper towels with washable cloth towels, use reusable food containers instead of disposable bags, and choose durable products over single-use items whenever possible. Before throwing something away, ask yourself if it can be repaired, donated, or given a second life at the Eastham Swap Shop. Small changes add up—and together they can make a big difference for our community.

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2026 Recycling Survey

Help guide Eastham’s waste reduction, recycling, and reuse efforts.

The Eastham Waste Reduction & Recycling Committee is gathering community input to improve programs and set priorities for the year ahead.

Whether you use the Transfer Station often or not, your feedback matters. This quick survey takes just a few minutes and will help make Eastham’s programs more effective for everyone.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Link to survey https://s.surveyplanet.com/5byu8qlu

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In the News

Whether you have an hour to spare or want to take on a small project, we’d love your help. Reach out to recyclingcommittee@eastham-ma.gov and get involved!

• Read the ECAC’s Catch the Wave 6

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Upcoming Events

• 2026–2027 Beach & Transfer Station Stickers
  • Mail in Applications will start being processed April 1st
  • Online Sticker sales will begin on May 1st
  • Sticker Office Windows for in-person sales will open June 4th
• June 26 – Oct 9 @ 9am-12pm : Eastham Farmer’s Market
  • Food waste composting with Scrappy!
  • Friday mornings
  • T-Time site,4790 US-6, Eastham
• Jul 31 : Last day for Boat Shrink Wrap Collection
• Aug 1 @ 9am-1pm : Cape Cod Latex Paint Take-Back Day
  • www.townofbourne.com/paint
  • Tony Kent Arena, 8 South Gage’s Way, Dennis
• Aug 10 @ 5pm : Energy and Climate Action Committee Meeting (Eastham Town Hall)
• Aug 18 @ 5pm : Waste Reduction & Recycling Committee Meeting
  • Eastham Town Hall
  • The agenda is available on the town website.
• Sep 19 : Household Hazardous Waste Collection in Orleans
  • Orleans Transfer Station
  • www.loveyourlocalwater.org
• Sep 22 @ 5pm : Waste Reduction & Recycling Committee Meeting
  • Eastham Town Hall
  • The agenda is available on the town website.