Solid Waste Committee has enough members to start work

Salem Editor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:57:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

After four residents stepped forward to fill several vacant seats on the panel late last month, the municipal solid waste committee is gearing up to get down and dirty on the town’s waste and recycling programs.

Although Public Works Director Rick Russell had remained optimistic that the committee would still be able to thoroughly examine all of the alternatives to Salem’s current solid waste system with three seats slated for residents still empty a month ago, he believes the group will now be open to a wider range of ideas and suggestions.

“More people, more thoughts. That’s the way I look at it,” he said. “More people means more ideas. It’s all the better.”

Originally created with the intention of leaving six open seats to be filled by residents, the committee will now comprise seven residents at large, Selectman Patrick Hargreaves and Budget Committee member Russell Frydryck, according to Russell.

Richard Cooney, one of the four residents to recently step forward, said concerns over the town’s recycling numbers had led him to pursue a seat on the committee.

“I have an interest in this facility because I use it. I’m concerned that we’re not recycling at the level we should be as compared to other towns in New Hampshire and other places in the world,” he said. “I want to see if I can help correct that situation.”

According to Cooney, the town could do a better job of educating the public on recycling. He would like to see more signs at the transfer station informing users about what is recyclable and how to increase their own recycling percentage.

Ronald Wells, another new addition to the committee, also pointed to recycling as a central motivation in volunteering for a seat on the panel.

“I just find it hard to understand why people can’t get behind the bandwagon and separate their trash,” said Wells, who has had an interest in waste management prior to joining the committee. “It’s not something that is hard to do. I find it very easy. Hopefully we can get more people to develop that same attitude.”

Selectmen formed the committee last summer, tasking the group with analyzing alternatives to the town’s current waste management system and whether they could be implemented in Salem. Officials have placed emphasis on encouraging increased recycling in the community as a way to bolster the bottom line.

Currently, each ton of trash hauled from the transfer station costs the town $81 while the same amount of recyclable materials costs $26. That translates into a $55 savings for every ton of recyclables that is diverted from the solid waste stream, according to Russell.

“The biggest thing in my opinion is our recycling rate. If we increase recycling we’re going to reduce our waste disposal costs and the more ways we do that the better our tax base is,” Wells said.

According to Russell, the committee will meet for the first time on Oct. 8 at the Department of Public Works.

Robert LaBossiere and David Kincman are the two other new members to the committee.

Residents William Arivella, Peter Klecan and Donald Freeman were appointed earlier this year.

Salem solid waste committee will search options

Salem Editor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:56:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Engaging in a little trash talk over the next year could cut down on transfer station costs while providing a boost to the town’s recycling numbers, according to public works officials.

With selectmen preparing to appoint six residents to a new nine-member Municipal Solid Waste Committee in the next several months, Department of Public Works Director Rick Russell said the group will explore every alternative available to the town’s current waste and recycling programs.

“There are always people asking why don’t we have this or why don’t we do that, and we figured it’s time to start looking into the other options out there,” Russell said. “We’re going to look at everything.”

That could mean a shift from the town’s current waste program, which is funded directly by the town’s taxpayers, to another type of waste management program. Russell said that could include a “pay-as-you-go” program or an incentive-based program and could mean implementing a town-wide system of curbside trash pickup.

Under a pay-as-you-go program Russell said residents using the town’s transfer station to would be required to purchase special trash bags before disposing of their waste, also known as a “bag-and-tag” program. An incentive-based program would encourage residents to recycle more often, by offering coupons or other rewards to residents that meet a set monthly goal.

Either option could be put into place if the committee recommended turning to a townwide curbside pickup program, Russell said, but he stressed that there was any number of other variations the town could implement.

“The whole way it’s set up right now, it’s tax based. Everybody is paying for it. Some people don’t even use it and they’re paying for it,” he said.

“We’ll look at the operation that we have now and (see) how we can improve on it.”

Russell is also hopeful the committee will find a way to increase the town’s recycling numbers, which he said have settled in at roughly 15 percent after hitting a high of 18 percent in January. Officials saw a steady increase in recycling since September, when the town switched to the single- stream method, but Russell said the figure should be closer to 30 percent.

Not only does increasing recycling make sense for the environment, but it saves the town money in the long run, Russell said. Casella Waste Systems currently charges the town $81 for each ton of trash hauled from the transfer station.

By comparison, a ton of recyclables costs the town $26. Every ton of recyclable material removed from the trash stream saves the town $55, according to Russell.

“One of (my) goals is going to get the recycling up and that’s just me personally ... We’re recycling and there are savings and where there aresavings, you have got to put the extra effort into it,” Russell said. “We have got a lot of work to do ... there are different ways out there. What works with one community doesn’t work in another.”

Salem Observer : recycling

Solid Waste Committee has enough members to start work

Salem solid waste committee will search options