To the editor:
I am glad I live in a town that is moving in the right direction. Learning recently that the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station budget for 2016 is significantly lower due to reduced tonnage was great news and a signal that people are doing more recycling and composting where I live.
This means that people and businesses are taking seriously the call to recycle more. We still have far to go. In 2012, the Maine State Planning office reported that, of the 1.3 million tons of waste in Maine, only about 39 percent was composted or recycled. Where will we put the other 60 percent?
It must be clear to everyone that landfill disposal sites in our beautiful state are disappearing, which means that waste is being trucked somewhere else. Lowering our waste disposal volume will reduce waste disposal costs as well as environmental and public health costs.
I credit public awareness, participation, and more opportunities for recycling all types of plastic at our local transfer station for saving Damariscotta $8,771 and Newcastle $7,162 in the coming year. Certainly there is more to be done, but people generally listen when it affects their wallet.
I hope we will be leaders and show neighboring townships like Boothbay that sorting all types of plastics, paper, metal, cardboard, and glass is what the future must look like. The next step is to cut down on the Styrofoam and plastics present in our everyday life in general.
Let’s do even better next year!
