Recycling Center Workshop by Board of Selectmen - June 26, 2023

The Board of Selectmen held a meeting focused on Recycling Center issues, with the main focus being on updating the center’s written policies which are long outdated and which now deviate in several ways from current practices due to ad hoc policy changes. Also reviewed was the Recycling Center’s operating plan filed with the state, as it also contained policy discrepancies. 

The Recycling Center is a major cost center for the town, costing over $300k/yr. As a point of comparison, the Police Department costs $600k/yr.

Waste disposal and recycling entail many challenges for the town, including:

• Failure of some members of the public to follow recycling rules. 

• Disposal costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation.

• Weakness in the markets for recyclable materials.

• Labor shortages.

• Aging equipment and facilities.

• A facility that was built when the town’s population is half of what it is now, and which cannot be readily expanded.

Exacerbating these challenges is the town’s 4% tax cap, which Selectman Morin pointed out last year forced the board to move $100k out of the operating budget and into a warrant article.

Hence, much of the meeting had the feel of a dumpster diving expedition into a dumpster that had already been well-scavenged. Lots of searching, but little luck finding anything that could reduce costs or increase revenue without major changes or investments.

One major change was proposed: that the town should institute a user fee. Selectman Morin strongly advocated this solution, proposing that the Recycling Center be operated like the Recreation Department, and that low-income and 65+ should be exempt from fees. Or perhaps there should be fees based on usage. He also noted that many residents use private trash collection services and therefore complain that they’re having to pay for town services that they do not use.

There was no enthusiasm for the idea among the other selectmen. 

There was a discussion about special item disposal fees. Recycling Center manager Wayne Smith said that these fees were updated in April of last year to reflect current costs. 

Smith reported that the board’s recent change to the clear bag policy had resulted in increased non-compliance with recycling. He gave several anecdotes but he was unable to quantify how much this was adding to the waste stream and therefore how much it was adding to costs and subtracting from revenues. He suggested re-instating the clear bag policy and having the Recycling Center sell high-quality clear bags as a revenue generator, as many people complained that the clear bags commonly sold were too fragile for trash disposal. 

There was no enthusiasm for this idea. There was discussion about cost trade-offs between the costs of waste disposal and the costs of enforcement, which include not only labor but the cost of friction between town employees and residents. 

Smith pointed out that while the town’s policies say that the town can ban individuals from using the Recycling Center, and that while he has petitioned on several occasions to invoke this enforcement, no one has ever been banned. This has emboldened the small number of residents who routinely disregard the town’s policies. Reasons for the town’s unwillingness to use this enforcement mechanism were discussed. 

I was in the audience and suggested that the littering law could be used as an enforcement mechanism, allowing violators to be fined. 

There was no enthusiasm for this idea. 

There was much discussion about equipment needs. Selectman Bartlett noted that with continued growth the town was going to need a second trash compactor. 

Smith said another baler was needed. Due to the limited number of balers, one of the three streams of recyclable plastic bottles always had to be kept in storage until baler space cleared. The town was at risk of getting fined if it stored things improperly, and the Recycling Center’s storage space is chronically at risk of being exceeded. Town Administrator Ellen White underscored the severity of the storage space problem. Smith also noted that one of the balers was old and could fail at any time. 

Selectman Morin noted that the town didn’t have money in its budget for acquiring expensive equipment for the center.

There was a discussion of operating hours. Smith noted that the Thursday evening hours were low demand and near closing time on Saturdays was peak demand. Selectman Shirland said he wished the Recycling Center were open on Sundays. Selectman Bartlett noted that Epping and Northwood’s centers were open on Sundays. Selectman Morin was concerned that this would make it even harder to find employees. 

Selectman Welch pointed out that saying the center was open until 5pm, but closed to additional customers 15 minutes prior confused the public. 

Selectman Bartlett inquired about minimum staffing levels needed. Smith said a minimum of two employees must be present to allow the center to be open to the public on weekdays and a minimum of three on Saturdays. However, four employees are needed to be on hand to operate smoothly. The center is currently understaffed. 

Smith mentioned other operational problems. Parents were allowing children to run around unsupervised, which is dangerous due to the traffic pattern. The town’s policy enacted by the 2021 warrant article allowing residents to scavenge and repurpose disposed-of materials from the center was enabling people to take from the center metals that the center sells at a profit. 

Selectman Dabrio brought up the issue of signage. Not only could the signage at the center be physically improved and made clearer, but it could also be made more positive. Signs saying things such as “thank you for separating your recyclables from your trash” could encourage better compliance. 

The Town Administrator reported that the credit card payment system for the Recycling Center that the board had previously approved would be implemented in a couple of weeks. The equipment has arrived. It still needs to be set up and for staff to be trained to use it. 

The meeting closed with an unscheduled non-public session. 

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• The town is seeking volunteers to join the Zoning and Planning boards.

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