Message from our Windham Solid Waste Management Represenative

Posted on

There are a few changes happening with the recycling bins for Brookline residents, effective immediately. For starters, our new vendor takes zero-sort (single stream) materials. This means you no longer have to separate the materials into different bins at the site. All recyclables can go into the same bin (even though some of the signs on the bins currently say you need to separate – those signs will get changed). For efficiency, in the future we will likely be closing off one bin until the other bin is nearly full, to avoid having two bins fill up at the same time. Also for efficiency, PLEASE BREAK DOWN AND FLATTEN ALL BOXES, so the materials in the bin are as condensed as possible. This will reduce the frequency of having to empty the bins, which will result in lower overall costs. As a reminder, the cost of this recycling program is funded by a portion of our property taxes.

Also, with the zero-sort process we are now able to recycle all #1-7 plastics again! Some of the current/old signage on the bins is confusing and will be replaced, but for now you can refer to the attached PDF for all the materials that can be recycled. And remember they all can be combined into one bin – no separating needed.

It is important to remind everyone that these recycling bins are for BROOKLINE RESIDENTS ONLY. With some neighboring towns doing away with their recycling programs, it is possible that non-residents might try to bring materials to our bins. If you see someone using the bins that you know to be a non-resident, please do what you can to identify the vehicle (license plate number, etc) and let to me and/or the town clerk know. We are also looking into possibly creating town recycling permit stickers or something similar, which would be given to all Brookline taxpayers, to make it easier to identify the cars of residents using the bins. We would also like everyone to be on the lookout for anyone dumping trash. If you see it happening, please try to identify the vehicle and/or person and let us know. If anyone has thoughts on how we might add additional “security” to the site, we’d appreciate the input.

Thanks in advance for your help with keeping our recycling program working as smoothly as possible.

David Jones

Brookline Selectboard

djones.brooklinevt@gmail.com

365-0170