For Communities

At CET, we believe communities that care have the power to lead us all toward a clean and vibrant tomorrow.

We have a number of free services available for towns, schools and community groups in rural areas of western Massachusetts. Some of the ways we can help include setting up recycling and helping institute waste reduction programs. When the town of Great Barrington set out some funky "art bins" that were really recycling centers for bottles and cans, their trash volume went down by nearly 60%!

CET can help your community set up something similar-drop us a line. It's not just all bottles and cans either - we help communities deal with household hazardous waste, fluorescent lamp recycling, and everyone in Berkshire County is invited to our annual textile drive - this is your big chance to get rid of those old shirts, belts, matched shoes, fur coats, any coats, really, pillowcases, sheets, what have you...

Don't know where to get rid of your batteries? Your cell phones? Your printer cartridges? Or your spent TV? Your burned out fridge? We can help.

Computer monitors and motherboards breaking the seams of your closets? We have an electronics drive every year!

We help communities deal with difficult to manage waste, and we are here to help set up recycling services in communities (in businesses and schools too!) Turn to us for help in setting up recycling at community events.

We also work with citizen groups on waste prevention and we can help set up commericial composting programs.

CET can provide guest speakers for your group's meetings on a variety of topics related to community sustainability.

Click here for additional information and web resources from the Municipal Recycling Coordinator (MRC) Climate Change workshop (January 2006).

CET, together with the Pittsfield Department of Public Health and the Public Works and Utilities Department, designed an educational piece about pesticide reduction that was included in municipal water bills. View side 1.
View side 2.

To learn about this kind of assistance for your community, contact us.

Information to help towns collect mercury (developed by South Central Recycling Association, for MA DEP).

Adams and North Adams

CET assisted the Town of Adams in developing a Community Sustainable Action Plan that incorporates economic renewal, environmental protection and community well being. As a first step, the Town Department Heads identified sustainable and non-sustainable behaviors and prioritized some early actions. The first action was to begin recycling in Town buildings. Procurement of recycled products and waste reduction were also identified as important issues.

CET has also surveyed businesses in Adams and North Adams and created an inventory of business inputs and outputs. The purpose of this work was to learn more about the potential for new business creation that can use waste materials as feedstock and to help businesses become more efficient through materials exchanges.

CET produced "Sustainable Technologies, Applications and Guidelines for the Greylock Center Project" and conducted an "Inventory and Assessment of the Natural Resources Associated with the Greylock Center Project" in Adams, Massachusetts for the Department of Environmental Management.

Wood Pallet Refurbishing in Northern Berkshire County

CET conducted a feasibility study to explore the potential for wood pallet refurbishing including manufacture of value added products in Northern Berkshire County. This business would save money for businesses in pallet disposal and/or purchasing and reduce wood waste.