By David Harry

Staff Writer

Cape Elizabeth councilors did not agree Monday on specifics of a pay-as-you-throw waste disposal plan and next month will hold a public hearing on the topic.

The potential program would charge residents for garbage bags to use at the transfer station. The plan could increase the town recycling rate and reduce non-recyclable waste hauled from the transfer station to ecomaine, said Town Manager Mike McGovern. 

Cape Elizabeth residents already have reduced the annual non-recyclable waste hauled away by about 1,000 tons since 2006. However, the increase in town recycling has flattened in the last two years, McGovern said. 

The rate increased by 35 in percent in 2008 with the introduction of single-sort receptacles for recycled material. Last year, the rate increased by 2.7 percent, according to ecomaine data.

Councilors at Monday’s meeting called for a hearing to learn what the public thinks of charging for garbage bags with a goal to increase the recycling rate above the current 31 percent.

Councilor Sara Lennon said she would like the hearing to concentrate on citizen input about the general concept, while Councilor Frank Governali stressed the importance of presenting financial facts how a pay-as-you-throw program can benefit the town.

“Give people a range of what may occur,” Governali said during a council workshop preceding the council meeting.

The discussion and plan for a public hearing come after recommendations of a seven-member town recycling committee that urged a pay-as-you-throw plan be decided by referendum.

Hauling and tipping loads of trash from the transfer station on Spurwink Road to the ecomaine trash-to-energy plant off outer Congress Street in Portland costs nearly $500,000 a year. The service is funded with property tax revenue, so reducing the amount of non-recyclable waste hauled may help avert future tax increases, McGovern said. It has not been determined how much town revenue could be generated from the sale of garbage bags.

Councilor Penelope Jordan said councilors need to identify and present objectives of the program at the public hearing and outline potential savings for taxpayers.

“We need to show the possibilities,” Councilor Jessica Sullivan.

Recycling committee members also recommended increased efforts to educate residents about potential changes of a pay-as-you-throw program. In addition to the public hearing, the committee suggested gathering public feedback through online comments.

Pay-as-you-throw programs have been instituted in nine of 21 towns that share ownership of the quasi-public ecomaine waste facility, according to ecomaine data. 

Locally, McGovern said it costs $180 per ton in fees to haul non-recyclable waste from the transfer station as opposed to $40 for recycled goods discarded in “silver bullet” containers.

The most recent Maine city to introduce pay-per-throw is Sanford, which is not a member of ecomaine. A program charging $1.25 for a 15-gallon and $2 for a 33-gallon bag went into effect July 12. Bags are sold at local stores and low-income residents receive general assistance aid to buy the bags, according to the town website.

The introduction of pay-per-throw came after curbside recycling efforts failed to boost the local recycling rate.

The Sanford town website claims more than 150 Maine towns have adopted pay-as-you-throw programs, but introducing them has been contentious in at least two. Voters in Waterboro and Hollis rejected such pay-as-you-throw plans several times.

McGovern and the council cited Cumberland and Falmouth as examples of towns with pay-as-you-throw programs and have similar demographics to   Cape Elizabeth.

The Cape Elizabeth recycling rate falls between rates in Cumberland and Falmouth at 31 percent, according to ecomaine data through June 30. The rate in Cumberland through the same date is almost 29 percent and 45 percent in Falmouth.

Despite annual decreases in non-recyclable waste in four years, Cape Elizabeth still has the fourth-highest annual tonnage among ecomaine member towns. It also has the third highest per capita rate of disposing non-recyclable waste, nearly 600 pounds.

McGovern said a savings of $140 per ton by of hauling recyclable instead of non-recyclable waste would save $3,600 for every 1 percent increase in the recycling rate. 

The council will present information on potential cost savings during the public hearing at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 13, at town hall. 

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219