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Westwood Wire - June 2018 Edition
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Residents,
I would like to thank all 1,200 registered voters who
attended and participated in the 2018 Annual Town Meeting. Articles were discussed, debated and voted and
the results can be found on the Town's website. Open Town Meeting is the
legislative branch of our local government and one of the purest forms of democracy,
allowing for all voters voices to be heard before votes are taken. The efficiency, accuracy and privacy were
further enhanced by the use of electronic voting technology, which should now
be standard operating procedure at future town meetings.
This Wire’s focus is on solid waste and recycling. As some
of you may have heard, many cities and towns are facing rising costs associated
with recycling due to China’s decision to stop accepting recycling product
because of contamination and other variables. Contamination is a problem
that we all need to work together to solve. A recent news story from
Channel 5 highlights the immediate impacts of the changes to recycling disposal
in Marlborough, Mass. In each Wire, the Town will dedicate space to
provide residents information on good recycling habits and how to get your
household members to recycle correctly and often.
Finally, I want to wish all of our graduating Westwood High
School Seniors the best of luck on the next chapter in life. I’d also like to wish
you all a happy and healthy summer and look forward to providing you with
continued editions of the Wire in the coming months!
 Michael A. Jaillet
Town Administrator
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 The following is a excerpt from a press release issued by By Susan Robinson, Director of Public Affairs for Waste Management
As the impacts of China’s new import policies to reduce trash in the recyclables begin to impact our collection programs, you may be seeing a lot more articles about the health of recycling, both locally and across the globe. In many cases, these articles are communicating the same basic information:
- Recycling contamination – or the percentage of trash mixed with recyclables – has increased and it’s jeopardizing the global recycling industry
- Going forward, China will not purchase recyclables if there is just a fraction of trash mixed with the items
- As a result, we all must focus our efforts on recycling the right items the right way
Continue reading more about Recycling Contamination
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 The Westwood Environmental
Action Committee (WEAC) is interested in gauging community awareness about
plastic bag use and disposal. Please take a minute to answer their brief survey.
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 Thank you
to our awesome 2018 “Teen Scene” Mentors
at the Westwood Public Library
Teens play a big role at the Westwood Public
Library – both as patrons, and as volunteers.
This year, the Library and Westwood Youth and Family Services Department
developed a collaborative Teen Mentoring Program, called “Teen Scene@ the
Library.” On early-release Wednesdays and
Fridays, Teen Mentors engage with middle school students, coordinating
activities in the teen room, gallery or community room space, as well as
helping students with homework, or facilitating board and video games. This
year six WHS students volunteered as teen mentors - Maria Kontogiannis, Gabrielle
Ouellette, Emily Padula (pictured) as well as Will Carr, Maddie McDonough, and Stephen
Pellegrino. Together, the students
donated more than 215 volunteer hours.
Many thanks to these wonderful WHS Juniors and
Seniors for volunteering so much of their time, talents and energy! They really
are making a positive impact in their community.
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On Friday, July 13th, from 10:00AM-9:00PM 20% of all sales at the new Panda Express will be donated to Westwood Youth & Family Services!
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 The Town has completed the intersection improvements to North Street and Route 109. Click on the picture to watch a video provided by resident Parker Harrington to see the entire project!
North at 109 Intersection Improvements Video
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www.townhall.westwood.ma.us
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