Representatives of the Gorham Public Works Department and ecomaine recently expressed concerns about residents’ improper disposal of many types of inappropriate items in the town’s large “silver bullet” recycling receptacles which are located at the Public Works facility on Huston Road. Residents are also leaving non-allowable items on the ground near the larger containers. Additionally, there is a smaller, but still significant, problem of residents placing these types of items in their curbside recycling containers.
Both the town and ecomaine state that these ongoing problems of waste-stream contamination are similar to what other towns and cities in southern Maine are experiencing, and it is negatively affecting the overall success of the regional recycling program.
Although problems with recycling and trash disposal are often out of the public’s view, the cost of improper disposal is billed to the respective towns. A ticket, or penalty, of $73 is given if any receptacle is found to have 25% or more of contaminant materials. To give some idea of the extent of the problem, the town’s total “silver bullet” contamination charges for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2019 were $8248.50. This represents 117 tickets.
Photo credit Leslie DupuisDespite clearly marked signs about the items that are accepted at the Town’s receptacles, residents are leaving behind materials that can not be recycled.
Some of the contaminant items cited by Public Works staff include large items such as sheetrock and other types of construction debris; household furniture; lawn furniture/ beach chairs; as well as large pieces of wood and metal. Other items on the contaminant list include batteries (both rechargeable and non-rechargeable); shrink-wrap and plastic wrapping; paint cans; styrofoam pieces; pillows; pieces of fabric and textile materials; and bags of mixed household trash.
Plastic bags filled with returnable bottles, as well as bags filled with mixed recyclables and non-recyclables are also problems as they are unacceptable for recycling. In fact, if residents put recyclable materials in any type of plastic or paper bag and place the bag in a “silver bullet” or other recycling container, ecomaine’s rules require them to move the entire bag to the trash stream because ecomaine only accepts recyclables that are easily visible on a conveyor belt.
Items such as CFL light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and rechargeable batteries are not allowed in either the trash or in recycling, but can be returned to authorized stores such as Lowes. Because they contain small amounts of radioactive material, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors must be taken to Riverside Recycling or another authorized location.
Non-rechargeable alkaline batteries, such as AA, AAA, and C can be placed in the trash. Car batteries can not be placed in either the trash or in recycling. For a fee, they can be brought to an auto repair shop or a auto parts store for proper disposal.
Public Works staff has noticed an increase in the amount of inappropriate items being left in or near the silver bullets on weekends. Department staff are often required to devote significant time to removing these items when they arrive at work each Monday morning.
Some of the options other towns have considered to alleviate the problem are: moving the “silver bullets” to a different location (including restricting access to them to certain times); having paid or unpaid monitors/recycling educators present when the “silver bullets” are accessible; and video monitoring.
To learn more about the subject of recycling and trash disposal, the proper ways to dispose of non-recyclable items, and many other related questions, visit ecomaine.org.