How many tons of trash per year do North Reading residents put out ? How much does that cost the town ?

The article says 3,800 homes out of 4,295 homes recycle. Where did they get that number from ?

We recycle everything we can. It takes zero effort. It's just common sense. Readings program is a no brainer. Seniors surely have at least 1 plastic or paper item to put in the bin, what a lame excuse.

@ Ryan Carroll. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I do recycle and I encourage it
But to make it mandatory is not the thing to do. I have spoken to people who recycle now and some said if they make it mandatory they will put one plastic cup in the bin and throw the rest in the regular trash. I do not agree with doing that. The recycling committee has done a fantastic job and I thank them for it. But I do not see the need for mandatory recycling. I would like to know how and where they got the numbers they are using.
To your comment about Seniors. That was a lame statement you made, It is clear to me you do not care about the seniors in this town but please remember if it was not for the Seniors in this town you would not live in such a wonderful town.
Signed, Joe Veno member of the North Reading Council on Aging

Well said Jim !!!!

The NR DPW did a survey last May over a two-week span and counted how many trash barrels were put out by each household and how many households had recycling bins. There is an element of common sense that goes into this and we can identify the households where seniors live. We're trying to get the folks who don't recycle to participate in the program and those households putting out more than three barrels to recycle more of what they are putting in the trash. This is all about saving money. So far this year, NR has avoided $41,763 in tipping fees. Over the past six years, NR is averaging about $90,000 in avoided tip fees.

JIM - Ask your dad to recycle by putting his tin cans in a plastic shopping bag that he carries down in his trash can and then sets next to it - that'll save him a trip and allow him to participate in our town's money saving and environmentally responsible recycling program. He’d be thrilled to know you cared to help him do it!

We all need to build routines that support recycling. Get a system together that works for you. For us, it's two bins (one for trash one for recyclables and returnables) under the sink and four barrels (trash, returnables, plastic/glass/metal, and paper) in the garage. With very little effort, we routinely set out more recycling than trash and our family of four would rarely (if ever) exceed a two barrel limit.

Ed, Thank you for that info. You and your committee do a great job. Please do not take this wrong if this is forced on the people I think it will backfire on you. I am sure you read my other posts. Thank you and your committee for all you do but leave it as it is..

JIM - Observing my neighborhood, they pick up plastic bags, cardboard boxes, or just about anything that clearly and neatly contains recyclables - regardless of the "rules". But that wasn't my point.

John- Hmm, must be one of those fancy neighborhoods. My Father and I Just live in the normal neighborhoods where sometimes recycling isnt picked up until Wednesday or until I call the recycling company

A simple way to encourage more recycling is to reduce the number of trash barrels that can be put out in a week.

Joe, your wrong. It wont backfire at all. I live in Reading and everybody was saying the same thing when implemented here. You know how many people are A) complaining about it now and B) complaining about the HUGE savings its providing? Thats right...NONE. You may have some naysayers at first but when it comes down to being able to afford something or not, this provides a number in the black column, not the red. I dont recall the numbers off hand but I think JRM offered Reading a great deal on the amount it was charging per ton as long as it met a recycling benchmark in tonage. Could be wrong, but the bottom line is the substantial cost savings which is now in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I can't believe that North Reading doesn't have a mandatory recycling policy. Joe, if the wonderful seniors made this town so great, why wouldn't you want them to take the lead regarding recycling? Should someones age deobligate them from recycling? Recycling is plain common sense. Almost all products made today can be recycled in some fashion. There should be a barrel limit in N, Reading and mandatory recycling.

Les I can see by your comments you did not understand the other posts. i NEVER said seniors did not want to recycle. I NEVER said I did not want them to take the lead in recycling. Please re-read the posts and see if you understand what not only me but others are saying about the Seniors. Also the Seniors probably have the least to recycle. If you have a problem with the Senior citizens of this town please keep it to yourself.

Kevin, No you are wrong. Just because it worked in Reading does not mean it will work in every other town. Unlike Reading before it became mandatory North Reading residents are very good at recycling now.

I live in Reading, am not a senior, and recycled for years even before it was mandatory. What you can recycle is a lot more than just a paper cup. I find we often put out MORE recycling than we do trash (though we are a family of 4). There is a lot that goes into recycling: junk mail, virtually ANY paper or cardboard in the house (think food boxes, egg cartons, newspapers-which arguably seniors more than others are the ones who buy), as well as cans, ALL plastic (including things like milk jugs, yogurt containers, etc). Look at your weekly groceries and what it is packaged in - probably everything but plastic bags and styrofoam can end up in the recycling bin. You don't even need to rinse it out. We store a wastebasket with a lid under the sink, a bag inside, and all the food containers go there - no smell, no mess. The bag goes into recycling bin, gets taken every week. My street has 2 are 3 elderly couples on it, and they seem to put out a full recycling bin every week. Try it, N. Reading, you'll find it's no big deal.

Kevin, Just because the amount of tonage for paper has gone down it does not mean people are rectcling less. It could mean they have less to recycle. I know for a fact about half the time i go to use one of those green and yellow recycle dumpsters in town they are full. The article did not say the tonage went up on trash. I am sure if it did they would of mentoned it.
You say the Senior argument is hogwash and B.S.and you have more Seniors than we do. Well you do have more Seniors than we do of course you would.
Even though we have less Seniors in North Reading than you do. I care a lot more about our Seniors in North Reading than you do for the Seniors in Reading. You proved it by your comment.

Did I say I dont care about seniors? Thanks, didnt think so. My comment is in general reference to the fact that some believe this type of program would somehow adversely effect seniors. Bottom line is, IT WONT. And there is NOTHING you can say to disprove that.
Sure it wouldnt make me feel great if an elderly neighbor fell on an extra trip to the curb with a bin. But so many seniors live on their own because they still want independence. Thats great. But that also means you put out recycling if thats whats required. 95% of senior complexes I go to have recycling either in building (most cases for me) or a central location on premesis. So again, no excuses.
Im willing to bet that the amount of trash in N Reading DID NOT decrease during the same time period in which recyclabled did. Im also willing to bet that due to the increased amount of recyclable materials our products are using, again in an effort to have them recycled, that a difference of nearly 200 TONS less of recyclables isnt just because residents all of a sudden didnt take as many trips to Kittys, or buy less items with some sort of recyclable material in it.
Its simple Joe. Your town WANTS to reduce cost, just as Reading did. As I said, even though I disagree, maybe Readings program isnt the exact answer. But hear me now, believe me later, SOMETHING IS. As someone pointed out, its just a matter of getting into a routine.
Im still interested in the numbers about Readings recycling habits you referenced.

John Intorcio, I should move ? I've lived here for over 50 years. How long have You ? You should move. Cute little motorcycle is it Your daughters ?

Kevin, Yes you did. Here is what you said, "Theres just as many elderly residents in Reading as in North Reading, so that argument is hogwash and in all honesty, complete BS."
I take that comment as not caring about Seniors.

Make it easier to recycle by providing stickers or large trashcans for recycling. Those little green bins are useless, because I have a lot more recyclables than regular items. My family of 4 only puts out 2 trashcans of trash plus 2+ trashcans of recyclables every 3 weeks.

And instead of picking and choosing which sentences support your agrument, perhaps you should try a little reading comprehension. If you go back to some of the responses, they state that this would force the seniors to recycle, take extra trips on icy driveways to the curb, and that they dont have as much in recyclables as others. MY responce, as I said, was a general reference as to how MINIMALLY this will effect EVERYBODY, but in particular the argument about the seniors. I NEVER said, and I mean NEVER, that I did not care about seniors, so please STOP making things up.
And as I pointed out, 95% of the senior complexes I go to have recycling READILY AVAILABLE eith IN BUILDING or on site somewhere, which makes trips to the curb down icy driveways or sidewalks a less viable issue. Couple that with the fact, AGAIN, as I said, that those seniors who choose to live on their own, which I think is fantastic if they can, that recycling WILL BE mandatory in N Reading whether they like it or not. Has nothing to do with age, ability or anything else. Its coming and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING you can do about it. And what was one of your responses? Oh thats right, "I have spoken to people who recycle now and some said if they make it mandatory they will put one plastic cup in the bin and throw the rest in the regular trash" Now while I understand you do not support that, THOSE are the folks Im talking about here. Unbelievable.
BTW, still waiting on the Reading numbers. Anything? No?

Kevin, Don't be to sure about this commnent you made. "Its coming and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING you can do about it"

Joe, I don't think I was exactly responding to just YOUR post, so I was not missing the point of it,, but I will respond to your post now. You say you don't like the government telling you what do do. but it is the government that is coming to pick up your trash, so they can dictate the terms. This service is paid for at least in part by your taxes, it is true, but also by the taxes of others. If the government deems that it can decrease the cost of the service it provides you (and, hence, decrease the cost to other taxpayers, as well) by changing the way it provides the service, there's not much you can do other than vote out whoever in government decided to change the way they provide the service. Mandating recycling seems to be one of those terms. I sympathize that you don't like the concept of government telling you what do do, but, within certain limits, sometimes they have to do that to provide certain kinds of municipal services. The only way to get out of having to pay for (and put up with) required recycling as pasrt of municipal waste removal services, and their associated terms, is to live somewhere that is not required by law to receive such services, like a private condo complex, or in a town that has a "town dump", where you must bring waste yourself. Or am I still missing your point?

M, I do not know if you have a trah fee in Reading or not but we pay $226 a year in N.R. to have our trash picked up. This fee can not be deducted on our taxs. Do you have a trash fee in Reading?
What I am saying is the system in N.R. is working fine and there is no need for goverment to change it.

Joe, we have no trash fee, is part of our taxes. We are limited to 3 barrels a week and mandatory recycling, one free "bulk" item a week (like couches). When I moved here 12 years ago we had a fee for bulk items, no barrel limit, and no mandatory recycling (although recycling truck did come). There had been talk of a trash fee, but instead they instituted the 3 barrel limit within the last year.
Our taxes have not gone down -- they never do -- but supposedly the town has saved a lot of money under the new trash contract, which presumably has been spent on other things.

Joe, does the towm pay a portion as well as your $226yr? If they are considering reducing the barrel limit, Id assume they pay a good portion of the total trash cost? Just looking for a clarification on that.

IF the answer is yes, then Im assuming they are looking at this decrease in the barrel limit to save on cost. Where does your trash get dumped? RESCO in Saugus? I know they have been steadily raising the cost per ton they charge each truck when they dump there. Due to that, the trash companies are looking to recoup the increase (only natural as it IS a business). So that would make me assume theres one of two ways to handle this. Either the town decreases barrels to limit the increased cost impact, or the town will pass the increase (in whole or in part) on to the end consumer...YOU, by raising your yearly contribution.

Thats the exact point of my statement thats its coming. You can increase recycling mby mandarotry participation, or SOMEONE in N Reading will be paying more. You choose, either more money out of your pockets or a minimally invasive recycling program. Now its probably not exactly as cut and dry as that, but in some general terms, this breakdown is probably pretty accurate.

We set up recycling at the DPW yard in the '90's...worked pretty well. Trash tonnage dropped significantly. It was only when they went to curb side recycle (that we pay extra for) that the trash tonnage began to rise. In addition, in Spring many put out more barrels as part of "Spring clean up". How will that be handled?

n

I live in North Reading and pay whatever for trash each quarter. I guess it is what it is. Usually I put out one barrel of trash and two or 3 boxes of recyclables. What I don't think is fair is the people that put out 6-8 barrels each week. I drive by Linwood street and there is a commercial construction company there and each week I see about 8-12 barrels there. The trashmen take them every week. They are full of 2 x 4 boards and sheetrock and stuff. I don't know how a construction company (dump trucks, bobcats and all) is in a residential area to begin with but shouldn't that stuff go to a dump?! I'd be a fan of pay per barrel!

Alex the issue you describe is unacceptable. There is a policy not to pick up "construction materials". My advice is to call the DPW...tell them what you have observed. Seems, perhaps, the contractor may be "tipping" the trash workers to avoid the cost of a dumpster. Happens all the time. Periodically the town has to follow the trash trucks (done in other communities) to police them. We pay them big bucks to pick up trash & recycling materials. But w/all contracts, you have to monitor their performance. Little is done in that regard. Gotta tell ya...this Board of Selectman pays very little attention to services we receive. That's why they are so quick to try to limit every one as to barrels & recycling, but not track down the scofflaws.

@ Tom Jeffords I do when I can but sometimes I can't. But that wasn't My point.