Our household recycles so much, trash is not put out weekly....sometimes 4-6 weeks are required to fill a trash bag.
Frequently, the Bi-Monthly RECYCLING Pick Up is inadequate and requires a visit to the RECYCLING CENTER at the Landfill.
Why should folks who are not LARGE generators of TRASH be forced to pay the same fee as those who fail to RECYCLE from laziness?
Drive around town on trash collections days and the failure of Middleboro to promote RECYCLE is striking. Not only has Middleboro failed, but a former Town Employee spoke repeatedly against RECYCLING.
Instead of eliminating the PAYT Sticker Program, maybe an enlighten Board of Selectmen should consider having everyone share the fair and reasonable cost of TRASH GENERATION.
Nantucket recycles 90% of their waste and there are many reasons - maybe those CLEAR TRASH DISPOSAL BAGS keep everyone honest.
Everything you never wanted to know about 'garbage'
Middleboro moves closer to automated trash collection
By Eileen Reece
MIDDLEBORO —
The days of seeing your trash collector fight rain, sleet and the summer heat to empty your trash could be a thing of the past if the town decides to use a mechanized system of trash collection this fall.
Town Manager Charles J. Cristello says the mechanized system would save the town money in the wear and tear on trucks and is safer for workers who will no longer go into the streets to collect trash.
The system is operated by the driver, and a mechanism on the truck, called an arm, picks up the cart and dumps it in the truck.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection supports the move toward automation and gave the town a $183,000 grant to start it.
The grant includes $90,000 toward the purchase of 35 gallon trash carts for the weekly collection of trash; $90,000 toward the purchase of 96 gallon recycling carts; and $3,000 for education about the program.
Town meeting would have to approve the program before it could move ahead.
Some say the program has “aesthetic value” because each home will be issued a cart that will neatly line the streets and gone will be the days of trash bags and barrels of every size crammed on sidewalks and at the end of driveways.
In a presentation to selectmen, Janine Delaney, municipal assistance coordinator for the Massachusetts DEP went over the advantages of the program.
Selectmen were critical of the 35-gallon weekly limit, which equals three standard kitchen trash bags, stating it was far below what a family would use.
Selectmen John M. Knowlton, who has a family of four, said it has been “quite a while” since he had only three weekly trash bags.
“In Middleboro, residents average .94 tons a year of trash,” said Delaney. If they reduce their usage by 20 percent through recycling they could accommodate the 35-gallon limit. Otherwise they can pay for an additional cart, she added.
Knowlton said he was concerned that the limit penalizes large families.
Selectmen Ben Quelle and Leilani Dalpe agreed.
“We have not made any commitment on what size trash container we want to recommend. We are just starting to evaluate what we can do or cannot do,” said Cristello, but noted that the $90,000 grant is for the 35-gallon trash cart and could not be used toward a larger cart.
“Obviously we have to invest some money in equipment and these trucks are fairly expensive,” said Cristello. He said additional expenditures would need town meeting approval.
Cristello intends to retain the $204 annual trash fee but will recommend that selectmen eliminate the option of paying per bag.
Of the 6,600 households in town, 87 percent participate in trash pick-up, with 4,954 going electing to pay a quarterly trash fee and unlimited trash pick-up, and 795 opting for the sticker fee per bag.
Town Assessor Barbara Erickson said she was concerned for the 795 residents who would not be able to use the sticker system if it is eliminated.
“I feel it would affect the elderly the most. Most people have one small bag,” said Erickson, adding that they are struggling financially.
Selectmen spoke in support of the state’s proposal that all recyclables be combined in one 96-gallon cart that eliminates the need for sorting. “This has increased participation in recycling,” said Delaney.
READ MORE about Middleboro trash collection.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/middleborough/topstories/x128257831/Middleboro-moves-closer-to-automated-trash-collection?zc_p=0
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