The Town recently began it's Food Waste Drop-Off program, where residents can drop off their collected food waste in wheeled carts in a locked cage behind Gill’s Riverside Municipal Building at 54 French King Highway. Sign up at the link below to get the lock combination. Drop off any day between the hours of 7 am - 9 pm.
To sign up and get the lock combination, fill out the form here.
To learn more about the benefits of composting, how-to, and what you can compost, check out the Gill Compost Handout.
Recycling Bins, Kitchen Compost Pails, and Compost Bins
The Town often has plastic recycling bins and kitchen compost pails available at no cost to new Gill residents and residents whose bin has reached the end of its useful life. There is a limit of one recycling bin and one compost pail per address. The availability of these items will be announced in the Gill Newsletter, but feel free to call the Selectboard's office at 863-9347 to find out if we have any on hand.
Gill residents can purchase an Earth Machine backyard compost bin at a subsidized price of $25. The subsidized compost bin can be purchased through the Gill Town Hall or the Franklin County Solid Waste District. Contact the Selectboard's office at 863-9347 to make arrangements to pick up a backyard compost bin.
Visit https://franklincountywastedistrict.org/Composting for information on backyard composting and the District’s office location. The Town encourages all residents to remove organic material from the trash and use a backyard compost bin. Approximately 25% of household trash is organic material that can be diverted to a compost bin.
Recycling bins, compost pails, and backyard composting bins are also available for purchase from the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District.
What to Recycle
The guides below provide a quick reference for what is and what is not recyclable. For a complete YES & NO list of what can be recycled, visit www.springfieldmrf.org To see a full-size version of each guide, click on the link below the image.
Recycle_in_WMass_07-21_English.pdf
Recycle_in_WMass_07-21_Spanish.pdf
Gill is a member of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, which holds several regional events each year to assist residents in disposing of hazardous waste, bulky items, etc. Visit their website if you have any questions on how to dispose of any item at any time throughout the year. They publish an excellent and very complete guide: What do I do with...?
Another handy reference is the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" guide that is available online: R-R-R-2024
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events
As a resident of Gill you have access to at least six Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection events each year. (As a member of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, there are reciprocal agreements that allow Gill residents to participate in collections held in other Pioneer Valley towns.)
Pre-registration is required for all HHW collection events.
To see the complete list of collection event dates, times and locations, click on this link: HHW Collections.
Access to the Greenfield Transfer Station
All Gill residents can use the Greenfield Transfer Station year-round. The Greenfield Transfer Station accepts a wide variety of materials, and is located at 86 Cumberland Road, Greenfield. There is a fee for most items. For more information, including the current Materials & Pricing Guide, visit: https://greenfield-ma.gov/departments/dpw_department_of_public_works/transfer_station_.php
Bulky Items - Companies Offering Pickup & Disposal
If you have bulky items (mattresses, upholstered furniture, wood furniture, toilets, sinks, and carpet) that you are unable to transport to the Spring and Fall regional collection events (see Regional Services above), there are local companies that you can hire to come pick up and properly dispose of the items.
You will be contracting directly with the company, and will be responsible for paying any pickup and disposal fees that are charged. This is NOT a service provided by the Town of Gill. You are making a private arrangement with a private company to perform a service, and the Town does not control the fees that are charged.
This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all companies that may provide this service, and does not constitute any endorsement or recommendation by the Town of Gill. Companies are listed alphabetically.
Don Bascomb, 413-625-8386
Gelinas Waste Co. 978-544-6511
Junk Autos
There are many charitable organizations that accept donations of working or repairable vehicles. There are also local businesses and individuals that will provide “junk auto” removal services. Instead of letting your unwanted vehicle rust in your driveway or backyard, turn it into a resource that provides money to a nonprofit organization or gets recycled into new steel products. For more information on options for proper disposal of an unwanted vehicle, visit the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District's website page: Junk Autos
Wood Pellet Bag Recycling Program
The program for residents to recycle empty wood pellet bags was discontinued in 2019 due to the loss of end markets for the bags.
Residents are encouraged to contact their pellet supplier and request the supplier take pellet bags back and figure out recycling, or at least pay for disposal of the empty bags.
Alternatively, some companies offer bulk delivery of wood pellets, which would eliminate altogether the use of plastic bags.
Sharps Disposal Program
The Solid Waste District provides free one quart or one gallon sharps boxes to Gill residents who use needles and lancets. Once a sharps box is full, you can bring it to one of eight Franklin County locations, and pick up an empty sharps box to take home. There is no charge for use of the program. You may use whichever collection site is most convenient for you.
Safe disposal of sharps protects recycling and trash collection workers, as well as family members of sharps users. Help us prevent unintended needle sticks – use our sharps collection program from now on.
For more details about this program, visit Sharps Disposal Program
Unwanted Medications Collection Sites
You can now bring your unwanted medications to any participating police station in the Franklin County area during operating hours. Place them in the green MEDRETURN Box. This helps to keep drugs out of the environment and helps to keep them from being misused.
For more details about this program, include collection sites, visit Meds Collection Sites.
