BERLIN – Town officials approved plans to move the William Street recycling station to Berlin Falls Park.
The Berlin Town Council on Monday agreed to close the recycling station located in front of the power plant on William Street to Berlin Falls Park. There, instead of the existing pods, citizens will be able to deposit recyclables in a single-stream recycling bin provided by Republic Services. The change was proposed by Public Works Superintendent Dave Wheaton in an effort to cut back on manpower costs.
“I think if we could try single-stream it’d work out cheaper,” he said.
Wheaton explained that the existing recycling pods on William Street were old and deteriorating. He said they were usually overflowing with recyclables, which town staff then had to sort through. Often it takes two men all day to sort through the material. He said that if the town had one dumpster and offered single-stream recycling, those men could be off doing something else.
“With single stream everything goes in one dumpster,” he said. “We’ll have virtually no manpower.”
Wheaton proposed the town contract with Republic Services for a single-stream recycling dumpster. He said the pods on William Street could be removed and the dumpster would be placed at Berlin Falls Park. Residents will be able to drop off their recycling there and it will be picked up once a week by Republic, which will then haul it to Delaware. The service will cost the town about $33,000 a year. Currently, the town’s spending an estimated $40,000 a year on labor, equipment and fuel associated with the recycling station.
“It should be a little less expensive than what we’re doing now,” Town Administrator Laura Allen said.
She said the town would make the change effective Nov. 5 as long as Republic could move that quickly.
The council voted unanimously to approve the contract with Republic. Mayor Gee Williams praised Wheaton for finding a way to save the town money.
“I’m glad you’re being responsive and proactive,” he said.
Following Monday’s meeting, Allen said the change would also address concerns of William Street residents who have complained in the past of trash blowing around.
“A lot of things are being placed into these containers that are not appropriate,” she said.
Allen said officials also hoped that because the Berlin Falls Park location was less visible, it would attract fewer passersby who tend to leave trash rather than recyclables.
