Recycling costs likely to increase as town negotiates contract

Dec. 4, 2019 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

WILBRAHAM – Ed Miga and Tanya Basch from the Wilbraham Department of Public Works (DPW) met with the select board  at the Dec. 2 meeting to inform them of a possible dramatic increase in cost to the town.

Wilbraham currently contracts with the Material Recycling Facility (MRF) in Springfield to process the town’s recyclable waste. Under that contract, which expires on June 30, 2020, the town receives $6 for every ton of recyclables the MRF takes.

The new proposed five-year contract would charge the town $93.50 per ton of recycling until 2024, when it would increase again. The increase in the recycling budget would be roughly $30,000 per year.

“When I read the letter, I was shocked, to say the least,” said Miga. He said the price increase is largely due to the sharp drop in the average market price for recyclables.

“We’d pay even more if the market value went negative,” Miga said.

The town has until Jan. 1 to sign the new contract, which is currently under review by legal counsel.

“We’re not the only ones in this boat,” Miga said. “We’ve lived in a bubble,” he said because the eastern part of the state has experienced the higher cost first. “Now the bubble’s breaking. I think the public's going to be shocked when they find out how much it costs,” Miga said.

Wilbraham does have another option. USA Waste currently handles the town’s trash removal and Basch said the DPW was in talks with the company to process the recyclables, as well.

“We have to see what [USA Waste’s] numbers are,” Basch said. “Step one is to get a price, and then we’ll go back and ask for additional language,” to give the town options if the recycling market falls further.

Police Chief Robert Zollo made the select board aware of the police department’s adoption of a new police identification policy.

Zollo said officers are “supposed to be able to produce an ID” to prove they are law enforcement. All full-time officers have the ID. Officers who have left the department and are in “good standing” are eligible for a retired police ID.

The problem, Zollo said, is that the town does not have a definition of “good standing.” Due to a post-9/11 rule change, Zollo said officers with an ID, active or retired, can carry firearms across state lines.

The language the police department is adopting is taken verbatim from the Massachusetts Police Association, which defines good standing as having not been “charged with or suspected of criminal activity at the time of retirement or separation from the department, nor was he/she under investigation or facing disciplinary action for an ethical violation of departmental rules, or for any act of dishonesty.”

The policy will allow Zollo to deny or revoke an ID if an officer is no longer in good standing.

“I give licenses to carry to the average person, I should be allowed to decide who gets the ID,” Zollo said.

Other items addressed by the board included the scheduling of Jeff Christensen, president of EntryPoint Networks, to present options for municipal broadband at the Dec. 16 select board meeting.

The board approved a transfer of $2,675 from the reserve fund to the Parks and Recreation Department for the hiring of a temporary employee, and Jennifer Curtis was hired as the senior center activities coordinator.

The town hall will be collecting donations Dec. 3 and Dec. 12 to benefit Soldier On. The organization is looking for donations of gift cards to local stores of $10, soap, deodorant, shaving cream, insulated cups and mugs, pillows, twin-size sheets, blankets and comforters, towels and washcloths, men’s t-shirts of all sizes, women’s clothing size small through 2XL, women’s sneakers sizes 7 through 10, gel pens and adult coloring books. Soldier On requires that all bedding, linens, clothing and shoes must be new.

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