Cardboard recycling compactor now in use

LACONIA — Corrugated cardboard can now be recycled in the city around the clock, City Manage Scott Myers said at the Tuesday night City Council meeting.

A compactor has been placed at 257 Messer St., the site of a former recycling station.

The public does not load cardboard directly into the compactor. People are to break down their clean cardboard, such as shipping boxes, and place it in an enclosure near the compactor.

The city pays more than $90 a ton to process recyclables for sale. The price has gone up as the market for most recyclables has gone down. Cardboard, however, still gets a good enough price on the recycling market to warrant removing it from the recycling stream and compacting it separately.

The Public Works department says pizza boxes are not to be included with cardboard, as they are not clean. Paper board, such as cereal boxes, shoe boxes and soda and beer boxes, also are not to be included.

All loose plastic, such as packing material, should be removed from the cardboard before it is recycled.

On May 14, the City Council decided to close three recycling stations and urge people to throw out glass, which is difficult and expensive to recycle. The changes were expected to save the city $70,000 yearly.

Curbside recycling continues.

Recycling costs have gone up as China has scaled back purchases of recyclables. Many municipalities are seeing budget overruns.