At a special town meeting on July 5, residents of Jefferson voted not to accept a state grant to pay for installation of a recycling facility.
The 44 residents and several out-of-town property owners who attended the meeting were primarily concerned about the proposed location of the facility and expressed concerns that too little planning went into the facility.
As proposed, the recycling facility would have been at the sand and salt shed on Rt. 126 in Jefferson. Early estimates put the total cost of the project at around $30,000. The grant, from the Maine State Planning Office, would have covered $22,896.
The facility would only have accepted cardboard and mixed paper, which Lincoln County Recycling would have picked up for free. The facility would have been open on Saturdays and overseen by an attendant. The goal of the program was to save the town money by increasing recycling, thereby reducing the town’s tonnage the Nobleboro/Jefferson Transfer Station.
The sand and salt shed property sits adjacent to a wading bird nesting area. Although the town received approval from the Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection for the project, residents were concerned about the impact of the facility on the wetland from drainage and loose garbage escaping the confines of the chain link fence around the containers.
Residents were particularly concerned that if the facility is expanded in the future to accommodate other recyclables it might require building or placing cans closer to the wetlands.
Residents also questioned the need for a recycling drop-off in town, when the town is co-owner of a transfer station, which accepts all recyclable items. Although selectmen said many residents end up throwing away recyclables because they don’t always drive to Nobleboro to drop them off, most of the residents at the meeting said they have no problem recycling and using the transfer station.
Selectmen said after the meeting they don’t believe the recycling habits of the residents at the meeting are representative of the town in general.
“It sounds like you got the grant money and rushed into this,” said resident Debby Marienhoff. “Not enough long-term thinking was put into this.”
Marienhoff owns The Valley Company, a waste stream consulting company that helps design recycling programs and facilities.
