Town readying for curbside pickup to start May 1
Town readying for curbside pickup to start May 1
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
All signs point to Scarborough residents beginning to have curbside trash and recycling pickup on May 1.
Scarborough Public Works is working to finalize details of the towns’ new automated pickup program.
Public Works Director Mike Shaw said the town has secured bids for picking up trash and recycling, through Pine Tree Waste, and for the bins people will be using.
Shaw said the town’s public works department is planning to deliver carts to residents the last two weeks in April. All residents will receive 65-gallon trash containers and 63-gallon recycling containers. Thirty-five and 95-gallon containers will be available upon request. The town, through a 10-year lease agreement, has purchased the carts.
The start of automated trash and recycling pickup in Scarborough is being designed to coincide with the start of single stream recycling through ecomaine (formerly Regional Waste Systems). Single stream recycling is a method where people do not have to separate their recyclables into different categories, or “streams.” There now exists two streams for people who recycle – paper products and plastic, cans and aluminum. Shaw said all indications from ecomaine are that single stream recycling will be a reality on May 1.
One question that the public works department has been trying to get answered is how those who live on private roads will put out their trash and recycling for pickup. Currently, those who live on private roads put their trash out at the nearest public road. Shaw said those who live on private roads have some options available to them – they can roll their trash and recyclables out to the nearest intersecting public road or could contract with a company themselves for trash and recycling pickup.
This past spring, the Scarborough Town Council voted to set aside money in the fiscal year 2007 budget for an automated trash and recycling pickup program in town. One expense the town will incur will be on the purchase of bins. Shaw said the increased recycling rate in town will help to defer the costs associated with the program.
Scarborough Public Works hopes for Scarborough’s recycling rate to rise to 48 percent once curbside pickup begins. The current recycling rate is between 19 and 20 percent in town, which is done at six “silver bullet” locations where people can bring their recyclables and place them in the appropriate bin.
Sarah Wojcoski, Scarborough’s recycling coordinator, said she is “excited” about the possibilities curbside trash and recycling pickup with bring in Scarborough and does expect the recycling rate to more than double. She said that residents can look forward to recycling all types of plastic, not just a few select types, when single stream recycling begins at ecomaine.
Wojcoski is currently working on a short video that will be shown on public access and will demonstrate how the new curbside pickup program in town will work.
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
All signs point to Scarborough residents beginning to have curbside trash and recycling pickup on May 1.
Scarborough Public Works is working to finalize details of the towns’ new automated pickup program.
Public Works Director Mike Shaw said the town has secured bids for picking up trash and recycling, through Pine Tree Waste, and for the bins people will be using.
Shaw said the town’s public works department is planning to deliver carts to residents the last two weeks in April. All residents will receive 65-gallon trash containers and 63-gallon recycling containers. Thirty-five and 95-gallon containers will be available upon request. The town, through a 10-year lease agreement, has purchased the carts.
The start of automated trash and recycling pickup in Scarborough is being designed to coincide with the start of single stream recycling through ecomaine (formerly Regional Waste Systems). Single stream recycling is a method where people do not have to separate their recyclables into different categories, or “streams.” There now exists two streams for people who recycle – paper products and plastic, cans and aluminum. Shaw said all indications from ecomaine are that single stream recycling will be a reality on May 1.
One question that the public works department has been trying to get answered is how those who live on private roads will put out their trash and recycling for pickup. Currently, those who live on private roads put their trash out at the nearest public road. Shaw said those who live on private roads have some options available to them – they can roll their trash and recyclables out to the nearest intersecting public road or could contract with a company themselves for trash and recycling pickup.
This past spring, the Scarborough Town Council voted to set aside money in the fiscal year 2007 budget for an automated trash and recycling pickup program in town. One expense the town will incur will be on the purchase of bins. Shaw said the increased recycling rate in town will help to defer the costs associated with the program.
Scarborough Public Works hopes for Scarborough’s recycling rate to rise to 48 percent once curbside pickup begins. The current recycling rate is between 19 and 20 percent in town, which is done at six “silver bullet” locations where people can bring their recyclables and place them in the appropriate bin.
Sarah Wojcoski, Scarborough’s recycling coordinator, said she is “excited” about the possibilities curbside trash and recycling pickup with bring in Scarborough and does expect the recycling rate to more than double. She said that residents can look forward to recycling all types of plastic, not just a few select types, when single stream recycling begins at ecomaine.
Wojcoski is currently working on a short video that will be shown on public access and will demonstrate how the new curbside pickup program in town will work.
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