Salem to Offer Free Cardboard Recycling Site for Businesses and Residents

The City of Salem will offer free cardboard recycling for Salem residents and businesses at the Salem Transfer Station, 12 Swampscott Road on Saturdays from 7-3 and Sundays from 9-5. This program will begin on Saturday September 30  and will run through December 17, when the Transfer Station closes for the season.

"With the closure of the only cardboard recycling facility in Salem recently, a privately operated business, we know that residents and businesses alike have been looking for options for recycling their cardboard," said Mayor Dominick Pangallo. "We encourage those who are able to collapse and add their cardboard to their recycling toter for curbside collection, but if you have excess cardboard or are not part of the City's curbside collection program, this new free service should hopefully be helpful to you."

To ensure that this program is successful, it is imperative that only clean, dry cardboard is brought to this location. Cardboard must also be flattened. If the cardboard boxes can be reused, please bring them to U-Haul Moving & Storage at 43 Jefferson Ave as they offer a “take a box, leave a box” reuse program.

Once the transfer station is closed for the season on December 17, the City offer cardboard recycling at the site one weekend a month through the winter. 

While this is a temporary solution to help Salem businesses and residents with excess cardboard recycling, the City is continuing to look into long-term cardboard recycling solutions for the community.

For future updates, please refer to the City of Salem Recycling and Trash page: https://www.salemma.gov/recycling-and-trash.