CHaRM
Collection of Hard
to Recycle Materials

For Clutter-Free Peace of Mind.

Sign UpPurchase Bags
Woman placing a bag of recyclable materials on a front porch with sunlight filtering through trees in the background.
CHaRM

Dispose Responsibly. Sign Up for Pickup.

Fill the gap left by traditional curbside recycling. We ensure your hard to recycle materials go to the best possible end use.

18+ Material Types
6+ Material Reuses
100% Responsible

Various flexible plastic items including bubble wrap, Amazon padded mailers, a loaf of bread in plastic packaging, and two Ziploc bags.
Flexible & Film
Plastics
Two clear plastic food containers, one open and one closed with a black base and transparent lid.
Rigid Plastics
White foam plastic products including a rectangular block, packing peanuts, and an open food container.
Foam Plastics
A pile of broken electronics including a laptop and smartphone with cracked screens, headphones, calculators, and a computer mouse.
Electronics
Stack of colorful folded towels next to a pair of light purple sneakers with white laces and pink interior.
Textiles
Stack of books topped with a teddy bear, surrounded by two tennis rackets, several tennis balls, a baseball, a blue doll, and an orange toy truck.
Donations

TerraCycle
Zero Waste Bags

For an additional fee recycle cartons, coffee pods, dog food bags, cosmetic packaging, water filters, ink & toner and more.
Various recyclables grouped: coffee pods and small containers, milk and juice cartons, dog food bags, black and color printer ink cartridges, and assorted makeup items including lipsticks and brushes.
TerraCycle Zero Waste Categories
See All CHaRM Acceptable Items

How CHaRM's Simple, Convenient Recycling Works

Smiling woman holding a clear plastic bin filled with clothes and packing materials on a brick pathway in front of a house with a blue door.
1

Sign In/Up for CHaRM

You'll get your starter kit of two CHaRM bags.

Person wearing a watch and rings typing on a laptop keyboard on a white desk.
2

Purchase Your CHaRM Bags

Receive text and email alerts for upcoming pickup dates.

Woman placing a bag of recyclable materials on a front porch with sunlight filtering through trees in the background.
3

Opt-in for Your Collection & Set Out Your Bags!

We ensure the material gets to our trusted partners and has the best end use.

Now Servicing 20+ Towns

Map showing highlighted service areas around Boston, Massachusetts, including Newburyport, Ipswich, Gloucester, Lexington, Newton, and Salem.

Towns offering CHaRM Route Collection

Arlington, Beverly, Brookline, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Lexington, Malden, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Medford,
Melrose, Natick, Newburyport, Newton, Reading, Rockport, Salem, Somerville, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wakefield, Winchester

Mail-in Service

Don't see your town listed? Sign up for our mail-in service. The more CHaRM participants, the more streams we can recycle in your city/town!
Get Started

CHaRM Collection Types

White and green waste management truck on a suburban street with message about handling food scraps, plastic, textiles, and electronics that make up half of household trash.

Route Collection

One-time collection of 2 CHaRM bags. These can be filled with your electronics, textiles, donations, and more. (One category/stream per bag)
Types of accepted material:
- Flexible & Film Plastics
- Foam Plastics
- Rigid Plastics
- Electronics
- Textiles
- Donations
Learn More
Two green bags labeled 'CHaRM Collection of Hard to Recycle Materials Bag' placed on a patterned rug in a living room with a gray sofa, brown leather armchair, and wooden coffee table.

Mail-In Collection

One-time mail-in of 2 CHaRM Bags via USPS. These can be filled with your foam, flexible, and rigid plastics. (One category/stream per bag)
Types of accepted material:
- Flexible & Film Plastics
- Foam Plastics
- Rigid Plastics
Learn More

What Goes In My CHaRM Bags?

Download and print the complete list for easy reference.

Printable List

Flexible & Film Plastics

Rigid Plastics

Foam Plastics

Electronics

Textiles

Donations

TerraCycle

Accepted

Plastic Stretchy Film
Air Packaging
Bread Bags
Bubble Wrap
Case Wraps
Food Storage Bags
Padded Envelopes or Mailers
Plastic Shopping Bags
Ziploc Bags
Plastic Wrap
Shrink Wrap

Not Accepted

Glass
Foamed Plastics
Non-Stretchy Plastic
PLA or Compostable Plastics
Wood

Accepted

PET #1 Soda/Water Bottles/Strapping
HDPE #2 Milk/Laundry Containers
PVC #3 Containers and Siding
LDPE #4 Containers
PP #5 Containers
PS #6 Containers
Other #7 - ABS, PC, Nylon, etc....
Plastic Drums & Pallets
Mixed Rigid Plastics
Medical Plastics/Pill Bottles
Agricultural Plastics and Flowerpots
HDPE Tanks, Trays and Crates

Not Accepted

Flexible/Film plastic
Non-stretchy plastic
PLA or compostable plastic
Foam Plastics
Styrofoam

Accepted

Foam Packaging
LDPE #4 & PP #5
EPS #6 "Styrofoam" & Packing Peanuts
Packaging Endcaps
EPS #6 Foam Coolers
EPS #6 Foam Fish Coffins
EPS #6 "Styrofoam" GEOFOAM
EPS #6 "Styrofoam" Foam Insulation
EPS #6 Food Service Foam (cups, plates, clamshells, school lunch trays)
PUR #7 Carpet Padding, Mattress Padding, Packaging
PUR #7 Closed Cell Foam

Not Accepted

Flexible/Film plastic
Non-stretchy plastic PLA or compostable plastic
Rigid Plastics

Accepted

Boom Boxes/Radios
Cable Boxes
Cameras
Cell Phones
Computer Towers
Cords/Chargers
Electronic Toys
Fans
GPS Systems
Hard Drives
Hair Dryers
Headphones
Home/Office Phones
Keyboards
Laptops
Mice
Printers/Scanners
Routers/Servers
Satellite Receivers
Small Kitchen Appliances
Speakers
Stereo Equipment
Tablets
VCR/DVD Players
Video Cameras
Video Game Consoles
Walkie Talkies
Watches

Add On (+Fee)

Flat Screen Monitor
Flat Screen TV
Lamp
Microwave
Vacuum

Not Accepted

Air Conditioning Units Batteries
Breast Pumps
CD's
CRT Monitors
Dehumidifiers
Electronic Toothbrushes
Floppy Disks
Light bulbs
Shavers
Smoke Detectors
Thermometers
VHS Tapes

Accepted

Belts
Bedding/Linens
Clothing
Curtains
Decorative Pillows
Fabric Scraps
Hats & Gloves
Jackets
Purses
Shoes
Towels

Not Accepted

Insert Material
Stuffed Animals
Wet, Moldy, or Mildewy Textiles

Accepted

Artwork
Books
CDs/DVDs
Coffee Makers
Drink-ware (not glass)
Jewelry
Musical Instruments
Nick-knacks
Pots and Pans
Silverware
Sports Equipment
Sports Memorabilia
Toys and Stuffed Animals

Not Accepted

Electronics
Fragile Items (dishes, etc.)
Furniture
Shoes
Textiles & Fabric
Magazines
Mattresses

Purple zero waste bag listing recyclable materials such as snack packaging, plastic bags, and six-pack rings.

Small Bags

Cigarette Butts
Coffee Capsules
Corks
Cosmetics
Eyewear
Ink and Toner Cartridges
Oral Care Packaging
PPE Gloves and Masks
Plastic Bottle Caps
Water Filters

Purple Zero Waste Bag with instructions to select and check off one waste stream to recycle including categories like plastic packaging, pet food packaging, personal protective equipment, and more.

Large Bags

All Plastic Packaging
Food and Drink Pouches
Milk + Juice Cartons
Office Supplies
Party Supplies
Pet Food Packaging
Styrofoam
Cleaning Supplies (empty)
Accepted Material for Each Stream

Addressing Waste Challenges Through Sustainable Practices

Our service seamlessly integrates environmentally conscious behaviors into your daily life.

2.7 Mil

Tonnes of e-waste was generated in the US in 2018 (EPA)

14.5 Mil

Tonnes of textiles waste was combusted & landfilled in 2018 (EPA)

27 Mil

Tonnes of plastic was received by US landfills in 2018 (EPA)

Large landfill pile with scattered garbage and a bulldozer on top under a cloudy sky.

Reused, Repurposed, or Recycled

Our trusted partners find the best possible end use for your material.

Spacious outdoor wooden deck attached to a house with stone siding, featuring patio furniture and shaded by trees.
Plastic takeout container with compartments holding sushi, tempura shrimp, vegetables, rice, and chopsticks on top.
Red packing tape roll resting on white packing peanuts inside a cardboard box.
Pile of various green and blue electronic circuit boards with multi-colored cables attached.
Diagram showing textile recycling process from receiving textiles, sorting and deconstructing, opening fibers, separating fibers, mixed fibers, to non-woven applications, circularity, and new textile applications.
Elderly woman in a patterned cardigan examining a white teapot in a thrift store aisle filled with shelves and boxes of dishes and glassware.
A family in a kitchen sorting recyclable items into purple bags labeled 'Zero Waste Bag' for recycling.

Flexible & Film Plastics

Plastic films collected through our program first go to a plastic film recycling distributor where materials are cleaned and bailed to be shipped to manufacturers. There the plastic films are typically combined with recycled lumber to produce composite products used as outdoor decking, siding, and furniture

Rigid Plastics

Rigid plastics are recycled into automotive components (bumpers, battery cases), industrial applications (pipes, crates), and consumer goods like storage containers, trays, and gardening pots.

Foam Plastics

The foam plastics are shredded and compressed to be used in picture frames, new packaging for shipments, and construction.

Electronics

Electronics are either refurbished to be resold to people locally with memory cards/records cleared OR disassembled for each component to be reused for new electronics.

Textiles

High quality and usable goods are sent to thrifts stores and non profit partners. Lowest quality is shredded for industrial purposes. It can take more than 200 years for textiles to decompose in landfills.

Donations

Donations are distributed locally to non profit partners and thrift stores.

TerraCycle

TerraCycle partners with numerous organizations to ensure materials are recycled responsibility. For more information: TerraCycle Recycling

CHaRM transformed how I think about waste. What used to end up in my trash now becomes a resource for our community, and it feels incredibly empowering."

Emily Rodriguez
Environmental Advocate
Three clear plastic bins: one with tangled colored Christmas lights, one with folded sweaters, and one with electronic components being lifted by a person.

FAQs

Get answers to common questions about our CHaRM recycling service

How do I sign up?

We are currently collecting over 20 towns in MA. Don't see your town? You can sign up for our CHaRM mail-in collection through the CHaRM sign up page.

How do I prepare my items?

Sort materials into designated bags provided in your starter kit. Clean and dry items ensure recycling or reuse of all materials.

Where do I leave my items for pickup?

We ask that you leave your items in a specific pick up location like your front porch or front steps on your scheduled collection date. You can let us know where to look for your items when you complete your order. We recommend NOT leaving items out on the curb to ensure all items are recycled as intended.

When are the pick ups?

We have our CHaRM collection monthly for our route collection. Sign up for route collection or mail-in collection options. (Location dependent) Customers will be notified prior to the pick up letting them know they can opt-in for the next pick up. All customers will be notified of their specific collection date a week before the pick ups begin. All CHaRM customers MUST opt-in through their account dashboard for EVERY collection.

How often can I schedule?

You can schedule a pick up once a month for our route collection option. Automated text and email reminders help you stay on track with your recycling schedule.

Are there item restrictions?

Each material type has specific guidelines. Some items may require special handling or TerraCycle zero waste bags. Always check our detailed accepted items list before collection.

I don't see my item on your list of acceptable items?

Please send an email to charm@blackearthcompost.com and we will let you know if we are able to take those items.

Can I recycle broken electronics?

Yes, we accept electronics in any condition. Non-functional devices are responsibly stripped and recycled into base materials. Data security is our top priority during processing.

How secure is data removal?

Our partnered Electronics Recycler does have NAID AAA certification for data destruction, so when hard drives arrive at the facility all data is removed before the items are recycled.

We do recommend formatting all hard drives before putting them out for collection for sake of redundancy and security. Please Google your device name and "how to format hard drive" for information on your specific device.

Can I mix material types?

No, each bag must contain only one category of material. This ensures proper sorting and maximizes recycling potential for each item. (Unless you use the Large Terracycle Bag option "All Plastic Packaging")

Still have questions? We're here to help.

Contact Us