By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

A South Portland man hopes to turn an academic assignment into civic improvement.

Daniel McLean, a student at the University of Southern Maine, has outlined a plan to add recycling bins to the city’s Greenbelt Walkway. 

“We have a limited amount of resources that we can use and I’m more focused on actually saving the resources we have,” McLean said.

The USM junior now plans to share his proposal with South Portland Mayor Tom Coward and later with the city council. 

McLean got the idea while walking Thor, his 2-year old German shepherd, on the path and saw dog waste and litter on the trail. He also noticed there were no bins to encourage better behavior.

“If you put a trash can somewhere, people are more likely to put something in the trash can versus putting it on the ground next to the trash can,” McLean said.  

McLean’s idea, written as part of a class on environmental studies, proposes recycling bins along a stretch of the walkway that runs parallel to Broadway from Amato’s to the Casco Bay Bridge. 

McLean recommends placing the bins every one-fifth mile with signs to remind passersby of local ordinances that prohibit littering and require dog owners to pick up after pets. 

He’d like to see his plan on the 1.2-mile section of the Greenbelt as a test that could be expanded to the rest of the 5.7-mile walkway. The Greenbelt runs from Southern Maine Community College to the Wainwright Recreation Complex.

McLean consulted carpenters about the project and estimated it would cost  $2,000 to $5,000 for 10 bins. He’d like to install the bins within a year if the city council approves his plan.

City Councilor Patti Smith said she appreciates residents wanting to keep the city clean.

“We’re always open to opportunities to give citizens a chance to recycle. I think that’s really important,” she said.

“The idea is wonderful but I don’t think it is feasible,” said City Councilor Maxine Beecher. She’s concerned city trucks could not get access to the narrow off-road walkway to empty the bins.

“I think it would be much more appropriate if each one of us who walk the trail would carry a trash bag,” she said.

Still, Beecher said she encourages McLean to make his proposal to the city council at a workshop or regular business meeting.

McLean’s presentation would bring attention to the fact that people are being careless on the Greenbelt, Beecher said.  

“Keeping the walkway clean will not only be aesthetically pleasing but will improve the environmental conditions surrounding the Greenbelt Walkway. A cleaner environment and more sustainable environment means happier residents,” McLean wrote in his paper.

He cited a similar program in Boise, Idaho, where public works employees remove 350 pounds of bagged dog feces from a city trail every week.

“I think this is great. That is the goal of my project. Just imagine 350 pounds of dog feces on the trail on Broadway unbagged and waiting to make its way into Casco Bay as runoff,” McLean wrote.  

He hopes to subsidize the expense through grants, donations or an appropriation from the South Portland City Council.

“I plan to remind the council that they have spent nearly $600,000 on the creation of this walkway since the 1980s and that the small amount of money spent to keep the trails clean and functioning is well worth it,” McLean wrote.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.