Littleton says ‘No’ to pay-per-bag trash

LITTLETON, Maine — Residents sent a message to their selectman Monday evening that, at least for now, they want their garbage to be free.
Nearly 100 individuals turned out for the special town meeting, held at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum to vote on a pay-per-bag proposal for Littleton’s transfer station. Residents turned down the proposal by a vote of 31 “yes” and 56 “no.”
    According to Bob Bartlett, chairman of the town’s board of selectmen, besides keeping costs down during the budget process, charging per bag could decrease the amount of trash coming to Littleton from outside of the town. It could also increase greater recycling efforts as individuals try to limit what they throw away, since recycling is free.
“We’re looking to save money,” Bartlett said. “We thought it would help stop garbage coming in from other towns.”
Another factor that prompted the town to consider charging was the success that Monticello had when it made the switch a year ago. According to Ginger Pryor, town manager of Monticello, her town was able to slash its transfer station budget nearly in half over the past two years. Monticello residents raised about $45,000 for its transfer station this year, as opposed to $70,000 last year and more than $90,000 two years ago. The amount of trash collected also decreased in Monticello as residents became more diligent in their recycling efforts, she said.
Littleton Selectmen proposed a $2 per bag fee for garbage at its transfer station. A tag would have been placed on all 30-gallon trash bags, which can hold up to 30 pounds. Barrels could still be used to dump trash, provided two stickers were attached to the barrel.
Flat rate fees for larger items would have been unchanged. The transfer station currently charges $1 for tires up to 15-inches; $2 for those 16-20-inches; and $5 for larger than 20-inches; $5 for white goods and bulky items (such as sofas, chairs and mattresses); and $10 per square for shingles. Disposal of metal and clean wood is free.
The amount of garbage being dumped at Littleton’s transfer station has increased steadily over the past three years. In 2008, the town generated 405.92 tons of garbage, not counting waste collected in dumpsters around the town. That figure rose to 419.65 tons in 2009 and 431.84 tons in 2010.
Including the garbage collected in dumpsters, Littleton residents generated 493.7 tons of waste in 2008; 508 tons in 2009 and 514 tons in 2010. The cost per ton has also rose dramatically over the past four years. In 2008, the cost was $71 per ton. That figure rose to $79.25 per ton in 2010 and the estimated figure for 2011 is $82 per ton.
Littleton is one of the last communities in the local area to not switch to some form of a pay-per-bag system for its solid waste.
Houlton, Bridgewater, Amity, Crystal, Dyer Brook, Monticello, Smyrna, Merrill, New Limerick, Island Falls, Moro and Patten are among the local communities that require residents to pay per bag for waste disposal. As of 2010, a total of 139 municipalities in the state have adopted a pay-as-you-throw system for managing garbage, according to the Maine State Planning Office.
At the Pine Tree Waste transfer station in Houlton; recycling has increased since the town switched to a pay-per-bag system roughly a year ago, according to Dean Lawrence, site manager. Outside residents are able to bring their recycled materials to the transfer station during normal hours of operation, he said.
The cost for bags varies depending on which town a person resides in, Lawrence said. For example, Houlton residents pay $2.50 for their bags, while those in the outlying communities that bring their trash to the transfer station are charged $2.65 per bag. Smyrna residents are charged $1.75 for their bags.
Keeping non-resident trash out of the Littleton transfer station was another topic discussed during the meeting. Town Manager Courtney Toby said she has written letters banning people from the facility in the past when it was learned they were bringing outside garbage to the facility.
Resident Glenn Kryssig suggested that residents could volunteer their time at the transfer station to help check the garbage coming in, since the existing staff at the station is often unable to check every vehicle. The transfer station is only open on Saturdays.
“Somebody monitoring the gate, policing it, and making sure that people have proof they are from Littleton would go a long way,” Kryssig said. “I would give up a Saturday to help police it, for no pay. Why can’t we all as a community work together and have others give up a Saturday to help police it? Why should we pay someone to stand there?”
Some residents expressed concerns that garbage would be dumped along roadsides. Selectmen stated that policing those who dump trash would fall under the jurisdiction of the Maine Forestry Department. However, one resident said she reported trash on her property to the local forest ranger, who investigated the incident, but the landowner was responsible for cleaning up the trash.
Others complained that it seemed like they were being asked to pay twice for their trash, since it was already included in the 2011 budget approved in March. The money generated by the sale of tickets would be combined with what the town already had raised and any funds leftover at the end of the year would have been used to offset costs in next year’s budget.
Resident Jerry Miller, a former selectman, asked the board if any of the communities that switched to a pay-per-bag system had changed back to no fees. Bartlett said he was not aware of any municipalities that had switched back after instituting a pay-as-you-throw system.
“It must work,” Miller said. “I can’t get my head around how this [pay-as-you-throw] is not the right thing to do. It should be the people who generate the garbage that pay for the garbage. I can’t think of a fairer system then that.”
The town’s solid waste budget has rose steadily in recent years. Toby said the budget went up in 2011 due to an increase in the amount of garbage being disposed of by residents. Last year, the town spent $74,500 to operate a solid waste facility, but this year the figure raised was $76,800. That figure will likely be even higher next year as costs rise.
According to a report for the Maine Government Finance Officers Association on the state’s website, switching to a pay-as-you-throw system has had a proven track record of success in the state. A sharp to gradual decrease in municipal solid waste tonnage over time was reported, coinciding with a sharp increase in recycling tonnage.
The study showed that nearly 69 percent of the towns in included in the study saw a decline in the their municipal solid waste after implementing the pay-as-you-throw program, while 75 percent saw an increase in recycling.
However, after a three- to seven-year period, those towns saw tonnage start to creep back up as residents became more apathetic to their individual recycling efforts.
The state’s recycling rate for 2009 was 38.7 percent, according to the Maine State Planning Office, despite the fact that recycling services are available to 98 percent of the state’s population.