By Brooks Payette
Staff Writer
    Ecomaine officially started up its new recycling center in Portland last week, a single sort system that ecomaine General Manager Kevin Roche said will revolutionize the way Maine recycles.
    The plant is just the third of its kind in the New England Region and Roche said the plant hopes to expand on the 28 communities already a part of ecomaine.
    The system is already affecting how communities handle their waste.
    The new sysem was instumental in Scarborough's decision to begin curb-side pickup of recyclables on May 1. Saco is set to begin in service with the family in July, severing a 20-year relationship with the Maine Energy Recovery Company in Biddeford.
    South Portland will explore moving from manual curb-side recycling pick up to an automated system next year when it's current contract with Pine Tree waste is completed, said City Manager Ted Jankowski.
    In Cape Elizabeth, Town Council Chair Paul McKenney is interested in exploring ways the system can help his town increase its recycling rate and reduce its garbage disposal costs.
    The $3.7 million plant, which Roche called an investment in the community, held an open house tour on May 3, at the new plant on Blueberry Road. The  system allows for residents to put all their recyclables into one container and for municipalities to deliver the recyclables mixed before they are sorted at the plant. Roche said that simplicity of it should expand participation throughout Maine and help communities save money.
    “We are happy to work with as many communities that want to work with us,” said Roche. “We need your material. We welcome new communities to join our effort.”
    Roche said that “single sort” recycling has benefits for residents and municipalities and can benefit a city or town of any size. He said it eliminates clutter in homes by not having to use two or more recycling containers.
    With the curbside pick-up program, residents would have one container for trash and one container for all recyclables. Ecomaine claims that curbside pickup has increased recycling by an average of 67 percent in six communities.
    With all the sorting done at the plant in Portland, most  by machine and some manually, it also eliminates curbside sorting by truck operators.
    Roche said cities and towns were looking at a way to speed up the collection process and eliminate time spent idling by municipal vehicles. It is expected to be a cost and time saver for participating communities.
    South Portland city councilor and board member of ecomaine Linda Boudreau agreed with that expectation.
    “Communities pay by the ton to dispose of their municipal solid waste, so when the weight of recyclable material is removed from the waste stream, the cost goes down,” she said. “Statistics have repeatedly shown that the easier it is for residents to recycle, the more they will recycle, It’s just human nature. Taking recyclables to the end of your driveway is obviously more convenient than making a special trip to the transfer station.”
    Beginning in January, Saco will be using the “single sort” system and send its recyclables to ecomaine via a curbside pick up. Saco is currently under contract for its recyclables with Corcoran Environmental until the end of the year.
    Saco City Councilor Eric Cote, an avid conservationist, said it is a good decision made by the city earlier this year.
    “What I like the most about ecomaine is they are focused on what’s best for the future of waste management,” Cote said.
    Since ecomaine charges for waste and not recyclables, increased recycling could result in a large savings for towns and cities.
    “The goal is to move a lot more of trash to recycling,” said Cote. “Every ton we send as recyclables and not trash is $70.50 the city saves.”
    Ecomaine member communities, who carry ownership costs including debt payments, pay substantially more per ton for incinerated waste. Cape Elizabeth's McKenney put the town’s savings at $159 per ton.
    The single sort system has also expanded the number of items that can be recycled. Nearly 75-percent (by weight) of the product coming into the plant is fiber, or paper products. Those paper products that can be recycled include cardboard, junk mail, magazines, catalogs, gift wrap, shopping bags,  milk and juice cartons and books.
    Under the new system, seven types of plastics are recyclable. In the past, only two types were acceptable. In addition to the plastic, foil, cans, pots and pans, empty aerosol cans, and empty bottles and jars are accepted. That includes any color glass.
    Items not recycled by the plant include light bulbs, hypodermic needles, sharp objects, toys, Styrofoam packing and peanuts, food bags, potato chip bags and bubble wrap.
    Despite the positives, Cote said it is still up in the air of how effective single stream recycling is. He said that because everything is mixed together, there is a level of contamination. Cote said he is anxious to see how the program works in Scarborough during the next few months before Saco implements it the first of the year.
    Roche said the plant, under its current schedule, is capable of recycling 25,000 tons of material a year. He added that the plant can easily expand that number by expanding its hours. Currently, the plant runs just 10 hours a day and does not run on the weekends at all.
    Steve Simard, ecomaine single sort recycling facility manager, said the plant is capable of sorting out and packing 18 tons of paper per hour and about another two tons of other materials, such as bottles, cans, and other materials. 
Roche said  the goal of ecomaine is to reach 50 percent of all waste coming in as recycled in order to take more waste away from going to landfills.
    Roche said towns can also compact the recyclable material before shipping it to the plant. He said a pilot program was run in Lyman, where the town cut down the yearly load shipment of 81 annually to just 24. That helped the town save approximately $7,125 a year.
    Roche estimated the plant will make about $2 million in revenues from marketing the recyclable material and is currently operating with a $1.5 million budget. He said an increased volume will make the plant much more effective.
    “We need volume,” said Roche. “The only way to cover costs with volume.”
    Revenues that exceed the plant's expenses will be used to subsidize the cost of operating the incinerator and landfill.