Brian Yates

Alderman-at-Large, Ward 5
City of Newton, MA

I am proud to have supported the Single Stream Automatic Waste Collection system. It should save the city money, at least a million dollars a year over what a continuation of the present method of collection would have cost. I will remain vigilant to make sure that problems of elderly or disabled residents are solved promptly.
I tried to do a Book Exchange at the Emerson Community Center years ago, but it didn’t work. The closure of the book recycling center at the Rumford Avenue Center leads me to think that book recycling should be carried out in all the village centers, particularly at closed branch libraries.
I think that e-waste (computers and other electronics) will be a much bigger problem than we have anticipated, and we need to look carefully at all possible solutions that do not result in hazardous waste from Newton being dumped in other countries.
I got a resolution approved asking the current administration to study the possibility of a program to recycle building materials from buildings that are deconstructed rather than demolished. Nothing happened. I will ask the next Mayor to act on this topic.
For more information on the new city trash and recycling system, go to please visit: www.newtonma.gov/DPW/recycling.

This page last updated on Wednesday September 09, 2009