Mandatory Recycling On The Horizon

By LAURA M. RECKFORD
A mandatory recycling bylaw for Falmouth is in the works and is likely to be ready for the spring Town Meeting warrant.
The bylaw would place the town in compliance with state solid waste disposal bans, as well as save taxpayer dollars for trash disposal and, of course, help to protect the environment, Ruth F.P. Brazier of Benjamin Nyes Lane, North Falmouth, co-chairman of the Falmouth Solid Waste Advisory Committee, told Falmouth selectmen last night.
The town spends $2.5 million annually on trash disposal. Most of that, four-fifths to be exact, pays for collecting and disposing of trash and recyclables from homes. Ms. Brazier said.
Curbside collection costs are fixed. But the fees for transporting and disposing of additional trash that is brought to the town waste facility or the Regional Transfer Station in Bourne and then transported to the SEMASS waste-to-energy facility in Rochester depends on how much is produced.
Last year in Falmouth, there were about 2,000 tons of paper that were thrown away as regular trash instead of being recycled.
“That’s $120,000 going right into the trash,” Ms. Brazier said.
Because the fee to pick up recyclables at curbside is fixed, the town can save money by increasing the amount of recyclables and lowering the amount disposed of at SEMASS.
“The more recycled material, the more money we save,” Ms. Brazier said. “In the long run, recycling is the only way to save money [on trash disposal].”
The draft bylaw the committee is working on is not meant to force compliance, but it is instead a way to make a statement of the town’s commitment to recycling and to state the town’s policy on recycling, Ms. Brazier said.
Ms. Brazier and other members of the solid waste committee had been hoping to get a draft bylaw ready for the fall Town Meeting warrant, but they ran into a time crunch in getting the bylaw ready in time for the closing of the warrant next Friday, September 5, said Virginia C. Gregg of Pond Road, Falmouth, former chairman of the solid waste committee, who first pushed for the bylaw.
Falmouth Department of Public Works Director Raymond A. Jack told selectmen last night he is in support of a mandatory recycling bylaw.
“It’s very important for the town to show its commitment,” he said, but he cautioned all the details should be worked out before a bylaw is put in place.
“With the bylaw, it becomes law. It has to be attainable and implementable,” Mr. Jack said.
Mr. Jack pointed out that the town is in the final year of a sold waste contract, which expires on June 30, 2009. The solid waste committee had wanted to have the bylaw in place before Mr. Jack began to negotiate the new contract, but Mr. Jack said he did not need a town bylaw to hang his hat on. That is because the state solid waste disposal bans are in place and he can base a new contract on those requirements, Ms. Gregg said this morning.
Falmouth Selectman Mary (Pat) Flynn said the additional time gives the committee a chance to educate the community on how the bylaw would affect them.
Selectman Carey M. Murphy said he was not initially a supporter of a proposed bylaw, but after attending the last meeting of the solid waste advisory committee, stated, “I’m a convert.”
Selectman Kevin E. Murphy said he did not think there was anyone in town who is not supportive of recycling, but he cautioned the committee to work with the business community to ensure there are processes in place so they can participate in recycling before a bylaw is passed.
As an example, Mr. Murphy, who owns a restaurant on Water Street in Woods Hole, said space constraints make it impossible at this time to recycle there.
“I appreciate your taking a step back. We can come up with a mandatory recycling bylaw that works for everybody,” he said, urging the committee to work with business leaders.
Kevin Murphy compared the issue to the town’s smoking regulations, which were at first opposed by restaurant owners, but then the board of health worked with business owners to craft a compromise bylaw that put Falmouth on the cutting edge of smoking regulations nationwide.
“The devil is in the details,” Kevin Murphy said.
Ms. Gregg said the committee fully intends to meet with business leaders over the next six months in preparation for the spring Town Meeting. She said space is also a problem for businesses on Main Street and these issues need to be addressed before the bylaw is in place.
One idea, she said, is that recycling containers that are shared by numerous businesses could be installed at a central location on Main Street. Then a hauler would need to be hired to empty the containers at a recycling facility off-Cape.
“It could open up business opportunities for haulers,” Ms. Gregg said.
Timothy Madden of Nantucket, who is running for the state representative seat representing parts of Falmouth, was in the audience at the selectmen’s meeting last night. He said Nantucket has had mandatory recycling in place for 10 years. He said when the bylaw was first passed, there were glitches, but islanders have worked those out over time.