Trash haulers say business clients can’t take another hike
By Mark Putnam
Managing editor
PRESQUE ISLE — No one in the room Monday night questioned the need to raise revenues from the city’s solid waste disposal program, the only question was whether to place the burden on the residential or commercial side.
Presque Isle City Councilors spent most of the Nov. 14 budget workshop on the topic, specifically looking to erase a shortfall, ranging from $135,000 to $442,000, in the newly adopted Pay As You Throw system. City Manager Jim Bennett outlined possible changes including higher permit and tipping fees at the landfill as well as raising the price per bag for PAYT customers.
While some councilors preferred looking for additional revenue from business users, a majority favored bumping the cost of the mandatory orange bags by as much as 50 cents per package.
Helping shed valuable light on the solid waste debate were representatives from the city’s two commercial trash haulers. While both see the PAYT system as fair to residents because the cost is based on the amount of trash they accumulate, they cautioned municipal leaders that business clients were at the tipping point on refuse expenses and would not tolerate additional rate increases.
Andy Leblanc of Star City Sanitation said hiking the commercial rate from $32 to $90 per ton has created some real hardships for small businesses in the community. “It has put us in the position of tax collector,” he said.
Leblanc said there just wasn’t enough tonnage going into the landfill to create enough revenue to support Presque Isle’s solid waste program. He said Tri-Community Landfill in Caribou takes in waste from many surrounding towns and handles much more volume.
Tom Berube of Gil’s Sanitation agreed with Leblanc’s assessment that PAYT is a workable system. He urged the council to avoid raising tipping fees and bag prices, actions which he fears will drive more users out of the system.
Some councilors thought the fee charged to residents who take their own trash to the landfill should be raised high enough to force them into the PAYT system.
“There’s a New England tradition in taking your garbage to the dump. I don’t think we want to take away that enjoyment,” said Bennett.
