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Solid Waste Committee for Trenton, Maine
Town of Trenton Solid Waste
Committee
Agenda
for January 7, 2009 meeting
1.
Attendees:
2.
Administrative:
-Acceptance of minutes from December
3, 2008 meeting (Tom and Peter already approved. Did Dotty? They were the only three there.)
3. Beth Gott from Gott’s Disposal is joining
us to address questions concerning the recycling dumpsters:
Recycling
glass:
Glass needs to be hand
emptied so it won’t break
Glass should be in bags (trash
bags? Shop & Save bags? Okay to tie?), not placed in dumpster as
separate items
Delays in recycling pickup: Is
it because no one from Gott’s comes when Janet calls, or because they come
and go without picking up due to some problem? (One 3 week delay for
cardboard (problem with lock?) and one 3 week delay for containers (because
not bagged?) since September) How should
Gott’s make problems known to the right people in Trenton so they get
corrected, and do we then need to call Gott’s again to repeat the pickup?
Should we keep the 2 cubic yard
dumpster for glass only and get a new 6 cubic yard dumpster for mixed plastic
and cans? Or get larger
dumpster for plastic and cans but not collect glass for now?
If
yes to 6 cubic yard dumpster, then:
No slit in side? Residents open
top to place in containers? No lock?
Is it okay to place in cut off can
lids (sharp edges)?
Can plastic and metal
be bagged? Should they be
bagged?
Plastic should be crushed
when possible (i.e. gallon milk jugs) so it takes less volume
General
containers dumpster issues:
All containers should be rinsed
so free of food
Items should not be left on
ground next to dumpsters when they are full
Batches of plastic bags are not
considered ‘recyclable plastic containers’ in their own right and should
not be placed in dumpsters except as allowed and needed to hold other
items. They can be recycled by
returning to grocery stores.
Cardboard
and paper dumpster issues (to confirm with Beth):
Pizza boxes are recyclable,
provided that the inner paper is removed, and no food remains
Cereal and cracker boxes should
have inner bags removed, be free of food, and be broken down to
flatten.
Janet Muise reports that someone
at EMR told her the pizza boxes and compressed cardboard (cereal boxes) go
with cardboard, not paper. A few
town residents thought they had heard otherwise. What is Beth’s understanding?
Confirm with Beth that no
plastic bags should go into cardboard or paper dumpsters
Are paper bags okay in cardboard
dumpster?
Tarps: Desirable to keep
moisture out? Should be secured with
bungee cords rather than rope so easy for dumper to deal with? Will he replace the tarp when done?
Recycle
dumpster signage:
Gott’s labeled the first
dumpsters as “cardboard” and “paper” but the third only as
“recyclables”. Who should label as
“glass only” and “plastic and tin containers only”? Town?
Label “rinse containers before
placing in dumpster”
Label plastic & cans
dumpster as “no regular trash!”?
Label containers dumpsters as
“Close lids when done”
Signs listing specific examples
of items which do and don’t belong in each dumpster?
“Do not leave items on ground
when dumpster is full” sign?
Label: “Please drop off glass in bags. Place bags of glass into dumpster gently – so they don’t break!”
Other
questions or comments concerning the recycling dumpsters?
Action
items (are we asking Beth to arrange to a new dumpster to be delivered?):
4. Other
business (have we finished with Beth?):
Fruit/vegetable/plant
composting – Tom received a query this week. When do we need to start work on this to
be ready for a “spring” event?
Newspaper
articles or Public Service or town section notices – Peter?
Education
(schools, etc.) – Peter “trash fair” update?
Status
of Eastern Maine Recycling (EMR) contract & discussions with Ellsworth
5. Identified Action Items:
6. Adjourn meeting
Next
meeting is Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 7PM in the town office.
Meeting
minutes for January 7, 2009 meeting
Attendees: Tom Sproule, Dotty Young, Chuck Starr,
Mike Swanson
Administrative:
-Voted to accept minutes from December
3, 2008 meeting - 3 Yes, 0 No (Peter Rees approved of minutes by email
communication with Tom)
Meeting
with Beth Gott
– Gott’s Disposal, Southwest Harbor, 244-7461, 244-7036. Beth was invited to meet with committee
members to discuss dumpster operations.
Comments, clarifications and decisions covered in the conversation,
as well as a few items discussed after Beth left, are as follows:
1.
Initial communications between the Town and
Gott’s Disposal was problematic in that too many Trenton representatives
(clerk, selectmen and solid waste committee members) were calling Gott’s –
sometimes with conflicting information.
Since Janet Muise has taken over responsibility as the sole Town liaison
with Gott’s (primarily to call for pick-ups when the recycling dumpsters
are full), the system has been working fairly well. The Committee discussed with Beth a few
delays we experienced in the picking up of our recycling. She acknowledged
past problems with cardboard pickups which have been corrected and should
not reoccur. Gott’s collects
cardboard in Trenton on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and should be able
to empty our cardboard dumpster shortly after we place the call. Concerning the paper dumpster, we could
still expect up to two week delays between when we call and when the
dumpster is emptied, due to EMR scheduling of operations which is beyond
Gott’s control (EMR has to arrange to work with paper early in the day –
before they start cardboard recycling).
2.
Concerning glass recycling, Gott’s is very
concerned about worker safety. To
avoid glass breakage, Gott’s requires that both pick up and drop off of
glass be done manually (by hand) rather than by machine dumping. If glass, plastic and tin are to be
collected together, as has been the case to date, the plastic and tin are
necessarily handled manually as well (for the sake of the co-mingled
glass). This is the reason we were
given a small (2 cubic yard) dumpster when we started collecting containers
in early December. We wanted a 6
cubic yard dumpster, anticipating that the bulky containers (especially plastic)
would fill a small dumpster too quickly.
But Gott’s determined that it would be too burdensome for them to
hand empty such a large dumpster.
3.
Therefore we discussed with Beth the possibility
of collecting plastic and tin together in a large (6 cubic yard) dumpster
and glass separately in a 2 cubic yard dumpster. While the glass must still be picked up
and dropped off (at EMR) by hand, the plastic and tin in their large
dumpster can be dumped by machine into the back of Gott’s truck (as is done
with the paper and cardboard recycling), saving their driver much effort,
and allowing the Town to go longer between plastic/tin pick-ups. Beth did point out that due to the setup
at EMR, Gott’s cannot simply dump the recycled plastic and tin there, but
must hand empty it into the same bin as is used by Trenton residents who
drop off items themselves (dumping doesn’t work since the bin is enclosed
in a building). If EMR accepted bulk
dumping of glass/plastic tin, transfer operations could be better. Because of the current setup, Beth asked
that plastic and tin be placed in the dumpster in plastic bags rather than loose. This will make it easier for the Gott’s
driver to transfer the materials at EMR.
She also asked that the glass also be collected in plastic bags within the designated dumpster, to facilitate
the hand transfer of those materials.
Action item: The
Committee voted 4 Yes to 0 No to obtain a 6 cubic yard dumpster (rented
from Gott’s) for the collection of co-mingled plastic and tin, and retain
the 2 cubic yard dumpster currently on site for collection of glass only. [Note: At the previous Selectmen’s
meeting on December 30, 2008, the Selectmen were presented with our current
situation and choices. At that time
they instructed us to invite Beth Gott to the upcoming Solid Waste
Committee meeting (January 7, 2009 – this meeting) and authorized the
Committee to make decisions concerning dumpster number and to act upon them
without the need to go back to the Selectmen for further approval.]
4.
Beth stated that the rates are currently $22
monthly rental and $14 per pick up for each 6 cubic yard dumpster (we will
now have three – one for cardboard, one for paper and one for co-mingled
plastic and tin) and $17 monthly rental and $8 per pick up for the 2 cubic yard
dumpster. Committee members
commented that we may seek less costly methods of glass collection in the
future, but that we were satisfied with trying out the 2 cubic yard
dumpster for now.
5.
Cardboard and Paper six cubic yard dumpster
operations have settled into a routine over the past four months which
seems to work well. Solid waste
committee members are often the first to note that dumpsters are full, and
when they do, they inform Janet. Janet
calls Gott’s and Gott’s schedules pick up.
If cardboard, the pickup is usually scheduled in conjunction with
other cardboard customers in Trenton.
For paper (and glass, plastic and tin) Gott’s currently has no other
clients in Trenton other than the town office dumpsters. Thus they will always be making a special
trip to empty these for us.
6.
There is still confusion and need to clarify
cardboard grade classification, common cardboard versus “cereal box”
laminated cardboard. We have had signs for some time instructing residents
to not place plastic bags in the cardboard or paper media dumpsters. Residents
seem to be complying with these signs as we are seeing fewer examples of
plastic bags in these dumpsters.
7.
Tarps were discussed, and Beth has no
problem with tarp covers for the cardboard and paper media six-yard
dumpsters. Plastic/tin six-yard and glass-only
two-yard dumpsters require manual, hinged lid drop off operations by town
residents and tarps are not conducive to this activity. At the November 5, 2008 meeting, Eric
White was tasked with researching and possibly purchasing heavier duty
tarps and bungee cords to cover the paper and cardboard dumpsters
(replacing tarps purchased in September which quickly degraded). Eric is not here tonight and the tarps
have not been replaced yet. Action item: Tom will email Eric to
determine the status of this project.
8.
Signage – Committee members discussed the
importance of additional signs on the dumpsters, so town residents will
know where and how to place their recyclable materials. Beth approved that committee member could
mark dumpsters with signs and stenciling.
Action item: Chuck Starr agreed to make and tape
signs to new dumpsters (Accomplished 1/8/09).
9.
Dumpster cleanliness – some
committee members have cleaned up around dumpsters, and taken care of left
bags. More signage or monitoring was
discussed. Snow removal has required
some committee member plowing, but Blanchard Plowing has kept dumpsters
mostly clear. Heavy snowfall has
required some shoveling.
10.
Recycling alternatives - discussed
alternatives to EMR costs for recycling, with Ellsworth drop off potential
for cost-free operations, and a Hancock, Maine based recycling business
that could take our recyclables.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45
PM.
The next meeting is
Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 7PM in the town office.
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