Board seeks to increase recycling

By Jonathan Cook
Turley Publications Reporter

STURBRIDGE - The little conference room of the temporary town hall was packed tighter than a sold out Fenway Park. Residents turned out to talk trash – and how to recycle more of it.
The Board of Health hosted the meeting in order to discuss revising local enforcement regulations of the state’s mandatory recycling program.
After passing out a draft of new trash hauler rules, Health Board Chair Linda Cocalis said all ideas were welcome from residents and haulers alike.
The changes are needed because many items that are banned from the trash are wasted illegally.
“Most of the people that have dumpsters do not recycle. And they currently have tons of waste ban items in their dumpster. We’re ignoring the law or it’s not ever been enforced,” Cocalis said.
But one hauler said it’s not easy for private haulers to enforce waste bans on items such as plastic, paper, aluminum and cardboard.
“The issue is how you get the customer to do that,” said Allied Waste Services Division Manager Michael Szczepan.
Also, Szczepan noted that those who do recycle often take their materials to the recycling center themselves.
Eric Leboeuf, of Leboeuf Rubbish Removal, said customers will often change haulers when told to recycle or face a service stoppage.
When that happens the health agent will encounter another enforcement issue – unlicensed haulers.
Cocalis said success would depend on an educational process. For example, she said people should know some facts show that once people start recycling seriously, they don’t need their trash picked up as often.
She explained that the main reason for changing regulations is “for our end of year recycling numbers.” She added that, “a good majority of our town already recycles and we’d probably be in the top ten percent in the state if I had all the numbers that I could have at the end of the year for Sturbridge. That’s a big deal for us.”
She said upping the numbers will help compete for grant money.
Accordingly, the numbers are spelled out in the draft. Haulers “shall ensure” that residential units will dispose less than 2,800 pound per year and recycle at least 250 pounds.
That recycling number could be hard to tabulate because of the recycling center. Even Cocalis said that she doesn’t recycle through her hauler. Instead she takes it to the recycling center.
Another issue is that Leboeuf and many other haulers provide single stream, or same container recycling.
That method is easier but leads to rejected materials.
Cocalis said, on the other hand the recycling center provides dual stream recycling “and we still get rejected loads.” Yet recycling is always cheaper than putting everything in the trash, Cocalis said.
Resident Kirstie Pecci noted the law requires that “you want the highest and best use” for materials. “And you don’t get that with single stream.”
A follow up meeting will be held Monday, Feb. 1 in Room 33 at the temporary town hall.