Weld said that while some of the glass that is processed in Maine does end up going to a landfill, it accounts for a small percentage of the overall stream, and there is often “an opportunity for beneficial use” as road base and/or landfill cover material.įollowing Auburn’s decision to end its curbside program, the Sun Journal published an Op-ed by Bob Cappadona, vice president of resource solutions for Casella. “All of the noncontaminated recyclables that we collect and process are sold to end markets or put to beneficial use,” he said. When asked, Weld said “the narrative that recyclables are simply being landfilled, is false.” However, those in favor of the program, including members of a city sustainability committee, said if a recycling program is properly run, it reduces the amount of material entering the waste stream. Several city officials questioned how much material was ultimately being recycled, and argued that Auburn shouldn’t pay a premium to have material picked up that would then end up in a landfill. He said the city is billed monthly by Casella and had not seen July figures yet.Īuburn’s curbside program had been struggling to boost its participation rate and contamination rate - the amount of material that cannot be recycled and is instead landfilled or incinerated. However, some pushed back on the sustainability argument while also stating that Auburn’s biweekly pickup - with uncovered containers and little education efforts - was doomed to fail.ĭan Goyette, public services director in Auburn, said Thursday that the city had “nothing to report yet” regarding the retooled program. In May, the City Council voted to eliminate the curbside recycling program, arguing that incinerating material at Maine Waste to Energy in Auburn would be cheaper and more sustainable than continuing a struggling recycling program. Jeff Weld, director of communications for Casella Waste Systems, the city’s contractor, said that while the drop-off location in Auburn is relatively new, “it is working well and producing material with low contamination.” In June, 49 tons were collected curbside, and in 2022, the curbside program generated an estimated one million pounds of material, or an average of about 83,000 pounds per month.
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