Less than a year into the city’s new curbside pickup recycling program, the numbers are better than expected, which means an even greater environmental impact.
Late last month, Public Works Director Guy Casavant reported to the Biddeford City Council on the program’s successes. He said since the program started on July 1, 2013, the recycling rate has averaged about 33 percent ”“ which is a staggering increase over the rate prior the program’s start, when residents had to bring their recyclables to the transfer station even though their trash was picked up curbside.
According to Casavant, for the same time period last year, the city’s recycling rate was 9 percent. Officials had projected a 27 percent recycling rate with the implementation of curbside recycling, but residents have exceeded those expectations, and hopefully, the upward trend will continue.
In addition to the numerous environmental benefits of recycling, there are also many financial benefits to the reduction of a municipality’s waste.
The trash rate reduction in Biddeford is just under 50 percent, compared to the eight months in the same time period in the previous budget year, Casavant told the council. Which means less being spent on tipping fees, fewer trips to the Westbrook drop-off site and, possibly, fewer hours needed at the transfer station.
Casavant said the cost for tipping fees for waste disposal was budgeted as $345,000, but with about three-quarters of the fiscal year over, so far, the city has only spent about $177,000. The city also budgeted for two trips to the site in Westbrook per day, but has only been making one, which means savings in fuel and toll costs, as well as wear and tear on the machinery. Casavant said the city is expending only about half the $50,000 budgeted for travel this year.
Casavant also proposed reducing the days the transfer station is open, from seven to five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, due to the reduction in use of the facility. Thanks to the curbside receptacles, most residents don’t need to travel to the site anymore to take care of their weekly recycling.
When the city proposed this change, along with the purchase of the Maine Energy Recovery Company incinerator site, it was a long time coming, and many were pleased to see this program finally get off the ground.
Despite the costs to make the change ”“ like many cleaner, more environmentally friendly programs ”“ the benefits have exceeded expectations, saved the city money in its waste disposal budget and made the process of recycling much easier for residents.
It’s heartening to see people embracing the change, and we hope more residents will get on board by recycling as much as they can in the years to come. Most household trash can be recycled, and when a home has a compost system, there is very little waste left to be thrown in the trash can. If everyone in Biddeford makes an effort to recycle what they can, the city can have even better results and even more savings.
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Today’s editorial was written by City Editor Robyn Burnham Rousseau on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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