Recycling Update

IT’S OFFICIAL!

 The Transfer Station is ready for you to sort and recycle.  The bins have been built; the doors hung; the baler is ready to be put to work.

Given the market changes in recyclables, it is no longer cost effective to group all of our recycling together. Different items have different value making it worthwhile to separate. Yes, it is disappointing as single stream was really convenient, but we know that it is important to the residents to keep costs down. Throwing items in the trash is always the most expensive option; therefore, recycling remains mandatory.

We are now ready to bail items with a refurbished baler purchased with 2018 funds. The cost savings from disposing of recyclable items separately and not throwing them away, will pay for the baler in 1-2 years and will continue to provide savings for years into the future.

Recycling as a commodity means that we need to make it desirable to a re-user. This means that anything with food particles is trash. Rinse your recycling!

We are now recycling the following separately in their own bins:

  • Tin cans (including ALL pet food cans)
  • Aluminum cans (beverage cans only, all else goes with tin)
  • All plastics marked with a number 1-7 (NO black colored plastic)
  • Glass (bottles and jars only) Lids must be removed and container rinsed out. Metal lids go in tin area.
  • Mixed paper (no six pack holders, juice cartons or beverage cases, “rippable” only)

EXCLUSIONS: No containers that held hazardous products, no flower pots, black plastic, buckets, bags, film, wrapping or foam

All communication and appliance cords now accepted so please bring them in. They are an income generator!

Road Work 2018 – Update on Major Projects

(Please refer to this document for the Board’s original plan).

The town discovered that both the Woodlands (Woods Run, River Rd) and Roberts Farm (Heritage Dr, Moses Carr Rd) had inadequate base structures:  mostly sand, rather than gravel. This caused the Board to rethink its plan of overlaying a large section of both developments. The Board instead chose to fully reclaim both developments and add sufficient gravel to provide a base that will ensure the best longevity for the eventual top-coating.   Here is the result of this year’s work and our expectations for 2019:

Woodlands:  the development was completely reclaimed, sufficient gravel was added to bring it to current standards and a binder asphalt coat was applied.  We expect to topcoat the entire development in 2019.. Shoulder work will be completed by the Highway Department this July.

Roberts Farm:  we reclaimed the planned section with the addition of sufficient gravel to bring it to current standards and applied a binder coat.  Shoulder work will be completed by the Highway Department in July. In addition, as planned, we dug out the “roller coaster” at the beginning of Heritage Drive.  The Pike construction crew found and removed old construction debris under this section of Heritage, causng the heaving and settling that has been occurring in this part of the road.  The crew went down about six feet, removed several loads of debris and refilled the hole with good gravel and construction fabric to try to mitigate the heaving problem. We are hoping that this will slow or stop the reacurring problem.  Because of the substandard base of the entire development, we will now plan to complete a full reclamation of the remainder of Heritage and Moses Carr, add a gravel base to bring it to current standards and apply a binder coat. We expect to be able to do this in 2019 but we are unclear whether the final topcoat will be done in 2019 or delayed to 2020.

Driveway Culverts

The maintenance of driveway culverts is the responsibility of the homeowner but the town has an interest in seeing that they are installed and maintained such that they provide for sufficient drainage and are built to current standards.   The Board is working with Road Agent Guilmette on a plan to provide homeowners with culverts at cost and have the installation completed by the Highway Department. Stay tuned.

Remaining Projects for 2018

The Board is working with Road Agent Guilmette on additional minor road repairs for this year to include work on Oak Street in coordination with the City of Dover.  Please stay tuned.

 

Updates on Transfer Station Changes – SEPARATE GLASS

As stated in a previous update, the Select Board is working closely with Road Agent Guilmette and HD staff Ed Walsh to help us navigate the roiling waters of the recycling commodities market.   We are also using the expertise of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA). Here are the latest updates:

  •      Please SEPARATE GLASS.   This is the first recyclable that we are pulling from single-stream.  We will be hauling the glass to Wakefield NH ourselves because of the proximity of Wakefield to the home of one of our HD staff.
  •      The Select Board has approved the rent-to-purchase of a baler from Atlantic Recycling Equipment to consolidate our recyclables.

o   Baled recyclables will result in fewer hauls, saving us transportation costs.

o   It will take about 6-8 weeks to install the baler.  We will be transitioning to component recycling in anticipation of baling the components.

o   The Board is renting the baler through March and will be including a warrant article at town meeting to complete the purchase of the baler.  Should the town decide not to purchase the baler, it will be returned to Atlantic Recycling. The rental agreement contains no interest costs and the entire rental fees will be deducted from the purchase of the baler.

o   The cost of the baler is about $17k; the full project cost, including concrete pad and electrical work is just under $23k.

o   We will be able to load the baler with the skid steer.

  •      The Select Board appointed Ed Walsh as Transfer Station Manager; this is in addition to his duties as an employee of the Highway Department.  He and Road Agent Guilmette will juggle schedules as necessary in order to provide Mr. Walsh with additional time to spend on transfer station operations.
  •      The Board is making these changes because the cost of single-stream recycling will be increasing and the advantages that were in place at the time of our transition to single-stream are no longer relevant.  We are continuing to look for opportunities to recover as much revenue as possible from our recyclables.