Lebanon selectmen announced this week the town will soon switch to single-stream recycling, which allows residents to put all of their recyclables into one container, which will later be sorted for recycling.
We commend officials in Lebanon for taking a step forward to increase recycling, reduce waste, make the process easier for residents and save money.
Selectmen signed a five-year contract with Waste Management that will result in a savings of $45,000 for the first year, according to Selectmen Chairman Jason Cole.
Cole said over the last two years, the three-member board has worked with various recycling and solid waste companies to find ways to reduce costs and increase recycling. Selectmen took tours of solid waste, recycling and waste-to-energy facilities and other transfer stations to better understand the process and work on finding ways to improve operations and cut costs.
Taking time to get educated on the process and find the best way for the town to dispose of trash and recyclables will benefit the town in the future as costs for trash disposal continues to rise.
Tipping fees at Maine Energy Recovery Company in Biddeford and others are increasing, and as the cost of gas and oil creeps up, those costs are likely to continue increasing. Towns in York County spend thousands each year to dispose of trash ”“ much of which could be recycled.
We hope residents in Lebanon will take advantage of this new system ”“ which makes recycling easier than ever ”“ and recycle all of their paper, plastics, glass and cardboard products to help reduce waste sent to incinerators and landfills and reduce their tax bills.
In addition to savings from increased recycling, Lebanon residents will be doing their part to reduce waste and “go green.”
Other municipalities should take their cue from Lebanon and make the switch to single-stream recycling. The City of Biddeford, in particular, should take Lebanon’s lead, as residents in this largest of York County cities have to sort their own items and bring them to particular bins at the transfer station.
For most city residents, who have curbside trash pickup, a trip to the transfer station to recycle their paper and plastics is too much to ask, which is why the recycling rate in Biddeford is embarrassingly low. If residents were able to put a recycling container out next to their trash can on pickup day, many more would likely elect to do so. Saco has found success with this system, for example.
Increasing opportunities for residents to recycle should be on the top of the list for all municipalities, and it is encouraging to see towns like Lebanon to lead the way. We hope the City of Biddeford and other municipalities will look into single-stream recycling as well to possibly realize cost savings and encourage residents to recycle.
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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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