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With the new year comes a press of the “reset” button. Start by tackling the clutter at home, and the clean streak may spark some goal-getting in other areas of your life, too. But before you go hauling everything to the garbage bin, here are some tips for starting anew with a clear environmental conscience.
First, toss your live Christmas tree. Local farms and other organizations will accept them as feed for their livestock (inquire directly), or Scarborough residents can place their trees out for curbside pickup along with their garbage and recycling bins. Our Public Works Department will pick up your discarded Christmas tree throughout the month of January to be chipped and turned into mulch. Place your tree on the curbside (only “real” trees, nothing artificial) on the same day as your trash collection any week this month. Please place it far enough from the curb that it will not get hit by a car or covered by a snowplow, but still within reach for our crew. Also, be sure to put it out on the morning of your trash collection so it doesn’t freeze to the ground.
Keep in mind, trash and tree pick up will not be happening at the same time; Public Works is doing tree pickup separate from the Pine Tree Waste trash/recycle pickup. If it is snowing or icy on the day you plan to put your tree out for pick up, please wait until the following week, as our crew will be maintaining our roads rather than picking up trees. Thank you for your patience.
Do you have more in your home to toss besides the Christmas tree? Categorize your piles into “Give Away,” “Recycle,” and “Trash.” Head to a Goodwill donation center with gently used items, or utilize the Buy Nothing Scarborough Facebook group to give generously within your own community. Our sustainability coordinator always recommends finding ways to reuse items before choosing to throw them away.
For items destined for disposal, it may be gratifying to recycle, but not always the correct option for sorting. We’ve noticed our town recycling has become increasingly contaminated with trash and other items that cannot be recycled. This contamination leads to higher disposal fees for the town. Resolve to “Recycle Right” in 2021 to reduce this impact on you, our taxpayers. Ecomaine, our local waste management partner, offers easy-to-use resources on their website. Simply search online “ecomaine Recyclopedia” for information about how to dispose of thousands of different items. They even have a Recyclopedia app available for Apple and Android devices. For a quick reference list, check out the printable materials on their website and place it near your bin as a guide. In a pinch, a good rule of thumb for recycling is “if in doubt, throw it out.” If you’re not sure which bin an item goes in, please place it in the trash bin. Collectively we can be better recyclers and drive our waste disposal costs down.
Decluttering can be easy, and the Town of Scarborough is here for you as a helpful resource. Head to the Public Works page of our website for more information on overflow recycling and household trash drop-off, or save their email for when you have questions (pwinfo@scarboroughmaine.org). ‘Like’ the Town of Scarborough page on Facebook for fun weekly “Which Bin Wednesday” posts about items you never knew could (or could not!) go in the recycling bin. For important news updates on changes to trash pickup schedules and more, be sure to sign up for our twice-monthly Town E-Newsletter. You can subscribe by heading to the Stay Connected page on our website, scarboroughmaine.org.
Start 2021 off with a refreshing sigh at the sight of your clean and decluttered Scarborough home. It’s time to hunker down for a winter hibernation.
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