Tag : Recycling Energy

TRENTON — Officials have revised the town’s recyclingprogram to minimize cost as well as energy expenditure andenvironmental impact.
On Sept. 5, two large trash containers were placed near the townoffice parking area. One is to be used to store clean recyclablepaper such as newspapers, magazines, catalogues and office paper,while the other is to be used for corrugated cardboard.
After town officials have had the opportunity to analyze how wellthe units are being utilized, they will decide whether to add athird receptacle to store recyclable containers such as plastics,glass and cans. The containers will be transported to Eastern MainRecycling Center (EMR) in Southwest Harbor when full.
This effort comes on the heels of the decision to end curbsidemonthly recycling service in January 2008, when the town contractedwith a trucking company to collect recyclables from each household.The cost for that service was roughly $759 per month. Renting theDumpsters costs $21 per month per receptacle with a $13transportation fee to EMR. Since Sept. 5, the container forcardboard already has been emptied once, which Janet Muise, townclerk, cites as reassuring.
“It wasn’t worth using a door-to-door service atall,” Ms. Muise said. “It simply wasn’t costeffective.”
The cost of solid waste disposal trails only the cost of educationfor Trenton taxpayers. Though the town does not offer curbsidepickup for trash, it still must pay fees for the waste picked up byprivate haulers to be processed at EMR.
The cost to the town is nearing $500 per household or business peryear. It is approaching $300,000 annually for the entire town.
In a letter to residents last week, officials encouraged voluntaryrecycling and the reduction of waste in order to save tax money.For every ton of waste recycled the town saves more than $115 fortrucking and disposal. If the total tonnage of municipal solidwaste produced in Trenton during fiscal year 2007-2008 was reducedby 10 percent, the town would save more than $18,000, officialssaid.
The process of reforming Trenton’s recycling policies was setinto motion on May 7 when the solid waste disposal committee wasformed and Tom Sproule was elected to serve as chairman.
The committee has organized a hazardous waste and electronicscollection day for the Town of Trenton on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Mount Desert Island High School .