Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station Manager Barry Howell has been named 2016 Recycling and Solid Waste Manager of the Year by the Maine Resource Recovery Association. (Alexander Violo photo)
The manager of the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station was recently recognized with an award from the Maine Resource Recovery Association.
Barry Howell was named Manager of the Year during the recycling and solid waste association’s annual conference and trade show at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.
According to remarks from Maine Resource Recovery Association President Ross Nason, Howell was commended for his efforts to increase the recycling rate at the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station by more than 25 percent in a time period of a little more than two years.
Howell said the award is a direct result of the community’s willingness to increase recycling efforts at the transfer station.
“This award really also goes out to the public. The recycling part of this is them, not us. Kudos to our public for working hard at recycling. Encouragement is one thing, but (members of) the public are the ones who have to do it,” Howell said.
Additionally, Howell and the station’s assistant manager, Brandon Achorn, have been commended for their efforts at the transfer station during meetings of the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station Committee.
“Barry (Howell) and Brandon (Achorn) have that place looking immaculate and we are very proud of it,” Nobleboro Selectman Dick Spear said during a meeting earlier in the year.
Howell also spoke highly of his colleague.
“Brandon has contributed a great deal to this process because he works very hard,” Howell said.
Howell has served as transfer station manager for roughly 2 1/2 years, starting in January 2014. Prior to going to work at the transfer station, he was a middle school math teacher in Whitefield.
He said the transfer station has worked to foster recognition of the importance of recycling in the past few years.
“We have been promoting recycling through encouragement and education,” Howell said.
Howell said the education aspect includes going into area schools, such as Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, to speak with second-graders, and talking to other groups of residents, including at the Bremen Patriotic Club and The Lincoln Home.
“We are trying to inform the public about the positive impact of recycling,” Howell said.
A weekly column, “Waste Watch,” penned by Howell, can be found within each edition of The Lincoln County News.
Howell said the column aims to keep people informed about goings-on at the transfer station, while also talking about new programs and important safety measures at the facility.
The transfer station on Center Street in Nobleboro is jointly owned by the towns of Nobleboro and Jefferson. The station also serves residents of Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle.
The 23rd annual conference in Rockport, where Howell received his award, was held May 3 and May 4. The theme of this year’s event was “Beyond Recycling: Materials Management and a Circular Economy.”
The trade show and conference is an opportunity for experts and service providers from throughout the industry to come together and discuss current topics in materials management.
The event is organized annually by the Maine Resource Recovery Association, a nonprofit trade organization for professionals in the recycling and solid waste industry.
The association’s mission is to foster professional recycling and solid waste management practices by helping communities and businesses throughout Maine implement environmentally sound and economically sustainable recycling and solid-waste management systems.
