Located on Pine Street in the heart of Florence, Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity is a vibrant hub that enriches the community and carries on the building’s legacy of activism through their performance venue. Also known as the Florence Congregational Church, the historic building operates two houses of worship, a performance art space, a daycare, and a preschool.
In alignment with their commitment to innovation and caring for the future, the Executive Director of Bombyx, Cassandra Holden, enlisted support from RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) to help implement a food scrap collection program. The Reform Synagogue, Beit Ahavah, also participated as a partner in establishing the waste program. The new program is poised to divert 2.5 tons of food waste annually.
The kitchen is used for both the building’s own events and as a prep space for several food trucks. Because of all these activities, it is clear why Bombyx needs a strong and efficient waste management program to support its diverse operations.
Last fall, The Bombyx Center/Florence Congressional Church responded to RecyclingWorks outreach to seek assistance with setting up food waste and cooking grease collection programs for their commercial kitchen, as well as solutions for hazardous and miscellaneous waste disposal. Their request specifically noted concerns about the potential for pests and odors that may occur from a new composting program, which RecyclingWorks’ Waste Reduction Consultant, Emma Sabella shared best practices and housekeeping tips and tricks to mitigate nuisance conditions.
Emma conducted a site assessment at Bombyx Center and met with Cassandra to discuss opportunities and solutions for food waste and other material diversion. After the site assessment, Emma created tailored recommendations to meet their goals. The recommendations included resources, education, and training and signage materials for improved waste diversion and recycling collection processes.
Their waste reduction championing doesn’t end there! Bombyx will be hosting a “Weird Recycling Event” on June 2nd, where the community is invited to bring their uncommon materials for upcycling, recycling, or donation. For an added incentive, there will also be donuts! For more information on the event and the list of accepted items, please reach out to us or check in with Bombyx’s website later in the spring.
By partnering with RecyclingWorks and embracing sustainable practices, Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity continues to uphold its legacy of activism and community enrichment while caring for the future through responsible waste management.
If your business or institution is interested in similar support, contact RecyclingWorks at 888-254-5525 or Info@RecyclingWorksMA.com.