What is your recycling IQ?
Rochester is about to engage in a summer school of sorts to bring those grades up in an effort to purify what it considers an earnest effort on the part of its residents to do things the right way.
To that end, Marcia Kessler, a consultant for the town and its grant writer, reported during the April 30, remote-access, Board of Selectmen meeting on Rochester’s Recycling IQ Program.
From June 5 to Sept 25, Rochester will be checking 250 resident recycling carts for A- and B-designated routes for a minimum of 500 checks. The town is looking for a level of contamination by inspecting only the top and first couple of inches in each bin.
“Our focus is on the two big contaminants,” said Kessler, defining them as shopping bags and tanglers (ie. hoses, cords, and wires).
The A route will begin on May 15 and the B route on May 22. The town will hang information tags to let people know that their cart has been selected for inspection. Those carts will receive three checks over the 18-week period that starts on June 5 and ends on September 25.
The goal, said Kessler, is to achieve zero waste. Plastic bags contaminate the recyclables and can thereby disqualify an entire truckload. The tanglers, she said, literally bring the processing machines to a halt.
The cost increases for Rochester when a contaminated load of recycling is rejected and redirected for shipment to the far end of Connecticut or upstate New York. Under state law, if a load is rejected it cannot go to the Southeastern Massachusetts Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) run by Covanta. It has to be scooped up into a truck and transported many miles.
Rochester will allow three disqualified pieces before a bin is rejected. Any rejected bin will be tagged and turned sideways so ABC knows not to pick it up.
“We decided not to go zero tolerance because people make mistakes. Children put bottles in plastic bags,” said Kessler. “We don’t want to make people feel like we’re punishing them for trying to do a good job, but there are monetary fiscal imperatives… The goal is to try to reduce the contamination of our recycling.”
The town will post notices of the program in the local press and on its own platforms.
“It’s an environmental thing,” said Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar. “We’re just basically reducing our cost because all those costs get pushed over to the town.”
Cart checkers will be coming from Fairhaven. Szyndlar said they are experienced personnel and will be wearing identification badges.
The first mailing with the information will go out to residents on Friday, May 8. It will include refrigerator magnets identifying acceptable recyclable items and those that are not… no plastic bags and no tanglers.
Kessler recently learned that items with a recycling number are not necessarily recyclable. “It turns out those numbers are only used by the people at the plant… that was a shock to me,” she said.
The Department of Environmental Protection cautions anyone hauling their bins to wash their hands afterward.
Szyndlar has been impressed with Kessler’s work so far, calling her services “invaluable” in the writing of Fire and Police Department-related grants. “She’s worked out really well,” said Szyndlar, alluding to a grant that will supply the fire department with new masks and hoods and a large grant to support two new police officers.
Rochester residents also have an opportunity to recycle their mattresses for free by dropping them off to a trailer. Kessler said that taking advantage now and correctly disposing of mattresses costs the town $30 to $40 per piece. The container will eventually become property of the town.
In her Town Administrator’s Report, Szyndlar incorrectly reported the town’s first COVID-19 death based on an inaccurate address she had received immediately prior to the meeting. Szyndlar would correct that information shortly after the meeting, emailing The Wanderer a clarification that the person who succumbed to coronavirus-related illness was not a Rochester resident. She did note during the meeting that the victim had been beset with many underlying conditions and prior hospitalizations.
As of Thursday, there were 12 COVID-19 cases in Rochester, including six active cases and six who have recovered. Szyndlar noted that seven cases were related to health-care workers.
Szyndlar reported that 20 Rochester seniors who qualified for and were approved to work for the maximum credit of $1,000 to be applied to their bills under the Senior Property Tax Workoff Program saw their progress stalled by the coronavirus-related shutdowns. At the request of Council on Aging Director Cheryl Randall-Mach, the Board of Selectmen approved full allowance for FY20, impacting those 20 seniors, most of whom were close to their 80 required hours.
“That’s the least we can do for the seniors,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Paul Ciaburri.
The board also praised the work done by Building Commissioner Jim Buckles and administrative assistant Patti LaForest on the proposed fee schedule for electrical inspections.
“I think they’ve done a wonderful job. I thought this work was exceptional,” said Select Board Vice Chairman Brad Morse. “It’s a bad time to talk about raising something, but this is proof on why we need to.”
Selectman Woody Hartley recognized the amount of back-up work and professional assessment given by the Building Department.
Ciaburri expressed concern at the colliding trends of the town’s direction toward burying wiring and the higher cost of inspections for underground projects. Town Counsel Blair Bailey explained that there is more work involved and, regardless of incentive, the Planning Board will likely require underground electric.
“It’s an increase but not a windfall,” said Bailey. “A lot of these numbers we’re behind (neighboring towns) in. It’s not in any way a money-making scheme.”
The new fee schedule, originally planned to go into effect this month, will become effective June 1.
Ciaburri was to sit in with the Plymouth County Advisory Board on April 29 to discuss the $90 million that the Plymouth County Commissioners received.
“The commissioners already said they will administer the money and not give it to the (state) government because the government has not guaranteed that Plymouth County would get any of the money,” Ciaburri said.
Morse noted that other counties (i.e. Norfolk and Bristol) have turned the money over to the state. “I’m in favor of Plymouth County administering if they can do it right,” he said.
Hartley said that, if the county administers the money, the state can say walk back its financial commitments to the counties. Ciaburri said that the state took over the prison but left the retirement with the county.
Bailey advised the board to ask if the attorneys involved on the county’s behalf are on a retainer or a “not to exceed” compensation agreement. “I would hate if these attorneys got some kind of percentage or incentive,” he said.
“Plymouth County is really tight with their money,” said Ciaburri. “I will ask the questions, but I don’t suspect that they will do something that is not exactly right.”
In other business, the board made some corrections to term limits while approving the following committee appointments: Conservation Commission – 2023 term expiration for Daniel Gagne and Maggie Payne, 2022 for Chris Gerrior, and 2021 for Lena Bourque and Kevin Thompson.
Three existing police officers, Sergeant Kevin Flynn and patrol officers Brendan Emberg and Alyson Rego, were approved for one-year terms.
In a meeting held the prior hour, Sharon Cruz was appointed to another term on the Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School Committee.
Morse suggested that the May 25 Memorial Day celebration be rescheduled for Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.
“I like that idea Brad. I think that’s a very good idea,” said Hartley. “We certainly won’t be doing what we’ve done in the past this year.”
According to Hartley, Rochester Memorial School is no longer under consideration for a roof-anchored solar array.
In light of the governor’s extension of the state shutdown through May 18, Szyndlar emphasized that all town hall employees are still working and remain available by phone and email. “Nothing has changed. We’re here to service the people,” she said.
Simple recycling (clothing and shoes) has been back in operation since April 27. More information is available via info@simplerecycling.com.
Rochester Board of Selectmen
By Mick Colageo