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Did You Know Hudson Recycles Styrofoam?

Every Saturday from 8am–2pm Hudson residents can drop off their styrofoam packing material (no peanuts, no takeout containers) at the walk-in trailer near the yard waste dumpster.

Hudson’s styrofoam is transported to Gold Circuit E-Cycling in Agawam. They process the styrofoam by a “hot melt densifying solution” to turn 4–5 of the bags of styrofoam shown in the photos into easily transported cubes that can be recycled into decking, picture frames and pens for example. If the styrofoam is not recycled, it either gets burned at a waste-to-energy facility (releasing carcinogenic styrene monomers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs] and other health threats into the air) or it's sent to a landfill where it will never decay.

Why don’t more communities offer styrofoam recycling? Gold Circuit will only accept styrofoam that is #6 PS white, clean,

tape free, dry and bagged. It is obviously very labor intensive but very rewarding for the Hudson recycling volunteers. We are constantly thanked by Hudson residents because they get it: where else would this stuff go?

Currently Hudson sends 5 truck loads a year to Agawam. Fortunately, the Hudson Board of Health and BP trucking sponsor the transportation fees with the labor supplied by the Hudson Recycling Volunteers/Green Hudson on Saturdays.

Do you have a couple of hours on the occasional Saturday to help out with this great effort? Please contact [email protected] or stop by the trailer for more info.

Now that you know styrofoam's recyclability in Hudson, spread the word to your neighbors and friends and keep it out of land fills and burning facilities that pollute our earth.

Saturday, June 13th: The 39th Annual Hudson Fest, Rain or Shine

Hudson Fest opens at 9 am. and runs until 3:30 pm. It's an old-fashioned street fair located on South Street, in the heart of Hudson's Historic District. The event boasts 120+ vendors that include nonprofits, local makers, and business partners. An abundant food court is located in the Avidia parking lot.

Meanwhile, Green Hudson will be celebrating our 5th year of our long-term plan of having a Waste-Free Hudson Fest! Over that span, we've added recycling and composting to the trash stations sprinkled throughout the area; and this past January, one of our initiatives became law when the town passed their plastic ban on single-use utensils and other take-out containers. It is our hope that all of this will achieve a waste-free event!

As we organize for June 13th, we will be staffing FOUR (4) trash/recycle/composting stations, as well as the Green Hudson information and education tent. This amounts to 66 one-hour-long slots to be filled by volunteers who will help direct people on how to sort their trash as well as be greeters at the Green Hudson tent. (Training will be available.)

Here is a link to the sign-up form where you can select the times and type of activity you'd like to volunteer for. Here is an opportunity to help Green Hudson achieve it's Hudson Fest goals.

Committee Reports

Climate and Energy Committee. We meet monthly on the 3rd Sunday, at 5:00 p.m. right before the general meeting. Current topics include: Heat Smart Cool Smart, EV charging infrastructure, and other related subjects. Want to join our committee? Contact us at [email protected].

Education and Outreach Committee. We continue our planning for the remainder of 2026 with a special summer event to be announced soon. Have some ideas you'd like to share? Want to join our committee? Please contact [email protected].

Plastic Reduction Committee. We continue to monitor our local restaurants and stores for compliance with the Non-Recyclable Plastic Reduction Bylaw. If you notice a restaurant or store that continues to give out styrofoam, styrene (resin ID #6), black plastic, plastic straws or utensils, please report them on the form HERE that's on our website. We will send these to the Board of Health.

If you find a restaurant that seems to be in full compliance of the Bylaw, please let us know so we can award them the "Green Hudson Stamp of Approval." Please thank the businesses that are doing their part.

What about the plastic products we did not ban that cannot be recycled at the Transfer station or by your local trash hauler? Recently, I discovered that many local supermarkets have added a box for collecting cling wrap, packing materials such as plastic pillows and bubble wrap, case overwrap, and dry cleaning bags, among other plastics. Nextrex picks up the contents and uses them to make composite decking materials. Find the full list of plastics they accept HERE and

find the drop off nearest you HERE.

While we cannot vouch for how much actually gets recycled, it is at no cost to the consumer and is not sent overseas. More research is needed to determine their actual recycling rate and how much product ends up in landfills.

The main caveat to this kind of plastic recycling is that it may lull some consumers into the false idea that the plastic problem has been solved. The production of plastic requires fossil fuels and many dangerous chemicals that are harmful to the environment and to human health. And while recycling plastic is good, products made from plastic are likely to contribute to microplastic pollution. See our Plastics Pages on the website for more information on plastic production and alternatives to the above products.

Meanwhile, if you have not done so, visit our recycling page to see what can be recycled in Hudson. Thanks. [email protected]

Legislative Update

The MA Senate passed the Environmental Bond Bill (Mass Ready Act) including a plastic bag ban and the drought bill. It is now in the House. Please email Representative Hogan or call 617-722-2600 to advocate for the plastic bag ban!

The MA House passed an Energy Affordability bill in March and sent it to the Senate. The Senate Ways and Means committee (along with Senator Barrett, chair of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy committee) is now writing its own Energy Affordability bill. Climate advocates are in agreement on several key elements they would like to see in the bill.

Please email Senator Eldridge or call 617-722-1120 to ask him to request these items in the bill:

NO cuts to the Mass Save Program.
Lower the revenue cap on cost recovery and begin to phase out the Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP).
Prohibit utilities from having ratepayers pay for political, lobbying, advocacy and board
perks expenditures.
Keep Alternative Compliance Payments funding for renewable energy.

Channeling Rachel Carson

Save the date for an empowering one-woman show coming Saturday, June 11th at 3:00pm, Under the Tent at the Hudson Armory.

Stoyteller Diane Edgecomb shines light on the many ways we can find our way home to the wonder of the natural world. It brings to life the Sense of Wonder Rachel Carson wrote about so movingly at the end of her life.

The ability to Wonder is a sense that brings renewal and a gift from those that take us by the hand and bring us back to our love and delight in nature. Oracle-award winning author and storyteller Diane Edgecomb skillfully weaves a hauntingly beautiful tale of her own journey of

poignancy, joy and light.

There will be an immersive post-show workshop for the audience—ages 12 and up—with storyteller and author, Diane Edgecomb. For more information, call 781-640-9499.

A Bit About Rachel Carson ...

Rachel Carson was the founding spirit of the environmental

movement. Her accessible nature writings transformed the

understanding of a generation opening eyes to the miraculous stories unfolding every moment in the living biosphere of this natural world.

The Edge of the Sea, The Sea Around Us, and Silent Spring—the book that challenged the entire petrochemical industry—placed her as the foremost nature writer of her time and as a true visionary.

2026 Clean-Up Hudson Day Was a Big Success

Many groups and individuals helped to clean up Hudson on April 25th. All ages were involved.

piles of nips were found in a wide range of areas;
a truckload of wood and furniture left by the river was recovered;
one family posed with their collected trash under a "No Dumping Allowed" sign;
we filled one dumpster and started a second one by the end of the day.

Beyond Zero Movie Review

In the mid-1990s, I remember seeing my first sign in a hotel bathroom encouraging guests to reuse their towels to save water. Such signs are common now; I see them in virtually every hotel I stay in. But how did this practice get started?

I had never heard of Beyond Zero, and I stumbled upon it while scrolling through Jet Blue’s movie offerings on a flight from San Francisco to Boston. The movie fascinated me.

It is the story of how a large company – Interface, a manufacturer of carpeting – became sustainable.

Historically, carpeting was an environmental nightmare.

Interface relied on petroleum-based materials, utilized "brown" energy, and created nearly indestructible products that lived forever in landfills.

The movie centers on Ray Anderson, the founder and CEO of Interface. Ray had an “ah-ha” moment when he learned that Interface had lost a large sale because the customer said their product was not sustainable. This caused Ray to examine Interface’s products and processes more closely. He concluded that “someday, people like me will be put into jail”.

So Ray announced that Interface would become a sustainable company. He had no idea at the time how this would be accomplished, but he put a stake in the ground.

Having worked in manufacturing for 40+ years, I know how outrageous a goal this was in the 1990’s. Competitive pressure is unrelenting. To make the switch to sustainability while remaining competitive is not easy. But Interface showed us how sustainability can increase profitability, not hinder it.

So, what does this have to do with hotel towels? Early in their journey, Interface held a leadership conference at a hotel in Hawaii. Realizing the venue was far from eco-friendly, they turned the stay into a "learning laboratory." They scrutinized the hotel’s operations for waste, eventually identifying the towel reuse program as a simple way to save both water and money. This exercise provided the foundation for the "out of the box" thinking that would be required for Interface’s sustainability journey.

If you are looking for a story that replaces climate anxiety with actionable hope, please watch this film. It is a powerful reminder that even the most "indestructible" industries can change for the better. (I found it for free on You Tube—Jim Whalen)

Recycling Volunteers Needed!

Have fun! Meet your neighbors and make new friends while helping the planet. Recycling volunteers needed Saturdays.

For more information:

contact [email protected]

Green Hudson's monthly general meetings are open to the public and held the third Sunday of each month, from 6–7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, 80 Main Street in Hudson.

MAY 17th

The Assabet River flows through the town of Hudson providing a powerful reminder of why we want to protect the beauty the earth provides. Scientists are alarmed as we witness climate change happening. We need to do more to stop to the threat.

Join Green Hudson to learn more.

You are invited

Do you have suggestions for articles, resources of note, inspirations, relevant books to recommend, etc.? Send to [email protected] with the subject line "Green Hudson".

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