Medfield Green Achieves Goal of Keeping Recyclable Items Out of Landfill

Medfield Green enjoyed one of its most successful recycling events to date last Saturday at the

There were 170 cars that came through the American Legion parking lot at the fourth annual Medfield Green Day on Saturday, May 5 – a drastic improvement from the 80 cars that participated in the first event four years ago.

“We had 11 donation stations this year and most all of them left with full trucks at the day’s end,” said Medfield Green member Donna Brown White, chair of the 2012 Medfield Green Day event. “All the stations gathered more donated items this year than in years past.”

The event collected clothing, footwear and toys, which go to either Cradles to Crayons, Planet Aid, Salvation Army or Dress for Success.

“We also saw a lot of small household items come in this year, which benefits the Bethany House in Millis,” Brown White said. “The sports swap is always popular since anyone can donate a sports item and swap it out for another one. All the leftover items get donated to inner city youth sports teams.”

The Friends of the also collected 65 bags and boxes of books, CDs and DVDs to help their cause.

However, the most successful part of Medfield Green Day, according to Brown White, was keeping usable and recyclable items out of landfills.

“A large percentage of those items went to benefit another human being in need,” Brown White said. “I also feel that the message of ‘taking control of your environment’ was passed to the next generation since we had over 20 students volunteering their manpower that day and they witnessed first-hand how to practice recycling, reuse and charity. It's one of the most rewarding feelings I've ever experienced.”

The event was an overwhelming success in 2012 because of the dedicated group of volunteers from the Medfield Green organization.

“Steve Catanese, Halen Dewey, Lucille Fisher, Susan Holbrook, Susan Lynch, Liz Bless, Laurie Nealon, Sue Shannon, Michele Stahl, Megan Sullivan, Sue Wilson, Kirsty Young and myself [organized Medfield Green Day],” said Brown White. “We also had numerous volunteers, adults and children, assisting in the unloading, sorting, packing and transportation of donated items that day. Many hands made for light work and their hard work was why the event went so smoothly.”

Brown White said the May 5 event is a product of roughly five months of planning.

“Planning Medfield Green Day starts in January so that we are prepared and ready to go by the time our event happens in the spring.”  

Medfield Green also received financial support from the Medfield Employers and Merchants Association (MEMO), which sponsored the event.

Brown White said Medfield Green received a “few hundred dollars” in donations from people dropping items off and that “money will go to help fund next year’s Medfield Green Day.”

Bikes Not Bombs Collects 99 Bikes at Green Day

Susan Lynch, who organizes the annual Bikes Not Bombs bike drive in Medfield, said this year’s drive was very successful.

“We collected 99 bikes and almost $1,000,” Lynch said. “We had a great bike drive.”

The bikes collected, according to Lynch, will be shipped to Sierra Leone this weekend. The money collected defrays shipping costs as the bikes are shipped out in a container ship.

Although this was not the most successful bike drive, according to Lynch, the annual event continues to be one of the most successful drives for Bikes Not Bombs.

“The most bikes we ever collected was 256 bikes, in 2008,” Lynch said. “Bikes Not Bombs considers the Medfield bike drive one of the most continuing successful bikes drives they have.”

In nine years of the Bikes Not Bomb bike drive being held in Medfield, Lynch said they’ve collected 1,200 bikes.

“That is 1,200 bikes saved from the landfill and used in many places around the globe – from New Orleans after Katrina to Africa, Guatemala and other South American countries,” Lynch said.