By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Cape Elizabeth residents may think twice about bagging and throwing away leaves from their lawns this fall, as the town council is considering amendments to the refuse disposal portion of the health and sanitation ordinance that could institute a “pay-per-bag” waste program for the town. Town Manager Michael McGovern said Cape Elizabeth currently produces 57 percent more residential waste per capita than Falmouth and 21 percent more than South Portland. 

“Our taxpayers are paying a lot more for solid waste than neighboring communities,” he said. 

Cape Elizabeth Recycling Committee Chairman Rachel Stamieszkin said despite the numbers, most residents are trying to recycle either at the town recycling center or by using the “silver bullet” containers around town. 

“The recycling rates have gone up,” she said. “We’re very good when compared to other towns.”

Ecomaine Spokesperson Shelley Dunn said this fiscal year Cape Elizabeth has sent 1,037 tons of recycled material to the ecomaine facility, 300 tons more than last year when cardboard was going to a different recycling facility. Not only are residents recycling more, but Dunn said they are also throwing away less, as this year the facility received 3,275 tons of waste – 400 tons less than last year. 

“People seem to care,” Recycling Committee member and recycling center volunteer Geraldine Davis said. “Usually everybody is making sure things are put in the right place.”

Dunn said the reduction in waste saved the town more than $30,000, but McGovern said the town is still spending close to $825,000 this year in ecomaine processing fees, recycling center personnel wages and benefits, hazmat disposal and other waste related costs. 

“Citizens do a good job recycling, but we’re nowhere near where Falmouth is,” he said, estimating a pay-per-bag system could save the town an additional $160,000 per year. 

Stamieszkin said the committee had considered going to a pay-per-bag system in previous years, and had avoided it by increasing public knowledge of the benefits associated with recycling. 

“We save $108 per every ton we keep from going into the hopper,” she said. “We hope [pay-per-bag] can be averted. Sometimes people need a stick but we’re hoping we won’t have to go there.”

Davis said she has seen an increase in the number of people willing to recycle in her five years volunteering at the recycling center, and that a pay-per-bag system could change people’s motivation. 

“I bet they’d stuff everything in the bags,” she said. “It seems as though some people have been pushing for [pay-per-bag], but there are only really a couple of people and businesses who do not recycle.”

Portland Solid Waste Manager Troy Moon said the city currently uses a pay-per-bag system for solid waste, and sells 30 gallon bagas for $1.50 each and 15 gallon bags for .75 cents. 

Amendments to Cape Elizabeth’s ordinance also include stipulations to limit commercial entities from using the town recycling center. McGovern said the town only collects roughly 10 percent of the cost for waste disposal from small fees collected from commercial entities. 

“We need to find ways to reduce the amount of waste that goes to ecomaine,” he said. “No other community that we know of allows commercial waste disposal [at a town facility.]”

The Recycling Committee was expected to discuss the proposed amendments at their Thursday meeting.