Citizens continue to place household trash in paper bags, top it off with loose paper and deposit the bags in the recycling shed, a practice that contaminates the recyclables, according to Town Manager Tim Pellerin.
After a recent load of paper hauled to Casella, the company that handles the town’s recycling, was found to be contaminated, all of it had to be hauled away from the collection facility and dumped as trash, entailing an added transportation cost for the town, Pellerin told the Town Council last week.
If the contamination continues, Pellerin warned, he might just shut down recycling for a week or even a month as a way to raise awareness of the problem.
The amount of contaminated recyclables being discarded at the Transfer Station has required staff to examine material left with recycling and pull out unacceptable items, according to Pellerin, who asked citizens to take more care with separating trash from recyclables.
Staff “should not have to dig diapers and trash out of the paper recycling,” he said, clearly annoyed.
Pellerin speculated that people are covering household trash with paper in an effort to avoid using the blue pay-to-throw trash bags.
Councilor Jessica Cyr sent out a plea to residents to stop this practice.
“If you are going to recycle, please recycle appropriately,” Cyr said. She noted that she has been asked about re-opening the swap shop, but given the lack of “proper compliance from citizens, we can’t take on anything extra.”
Also at the March 26 council meeting, Pellerin announced that as of April 1, the clerk’s office will be open Mondays. The schedule now is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays.
