Gilford transfer station opens with mandatory recycling on Jan. 2

GILFORD — Starting with the new year, Gilford residents using the town transfer station will be subject to mandatory recycling, the town’s answer to rising solid waste costs and the global problems associated with a throw-away society.

“Mandatory recycling is the only way to make it work and pay for itself,” said Selectman Richard Grenier on Friday as he anticipated the long-planned changes finally taking effect on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Gilford’s new recycling center will become a one-stop location for residents to get rid of their household trash, yard waste, tires, electronics, and bulky items. Gilford residents will no longer be allowed to use Laconia’s recycling center; everything now must go to Gilford’s recycling center.

Those who do not wish to recycle have the option of hiring a commercial hauler for home pickup, but if they come to the recycling center, failing to separate recyclables from the household trash is not an option.

Grenier said the town is taking a lenient approach during an “educational period” in the beginning, until people get used to the new requirements and what is and is not recyclable.

Bottle caps are not recyclable, he noted, nor are the caps on other products like whipped cream containers. Bottles should be rinsed, but do not need to be put through a dishwasher. Pizza boxes containing food residue should be placed with the household trash, although those who wish can cut off the tops of the boxes to recycle the clean cardboard.

The goal is to reduce the expense of hauling trash to a landfill, which costs $95 per ton plus a hauling fee.

The town previously used single-stream recycling, but that process leads to contamination, resulting in the largest market for the material — China — refusing to accept any more mixed materials.

By separating glass, tin, cardboard, aluminum, paper, and plastics, the town can realize an offsetting income — not in all cases, for some materials have such little value that they are picked up free — and reduce the weight going to the landfills.

The Solid Waste Center regulations are posted on the town website, setting out the rules and the fees for the disposal of certain items.

The regulations were amended following a public hearing in which residents objected to the fines listed in the draft document. Instead of punitive fines, the town will issue warnings to transgressors. Those who continue to violate the rules may face a temporary suspension of their use of the facility.

Residential household trash and items such as batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and waste oil are accepted at no charge, but there is a schedule of fees for construction debris, tires, electronics, and other items.

The regulations state that the goals include “protecting the environment and maximizing the most economic use of tax dollars by enacting a user fee system that is designed to cover the costs of disposal for waste products other than household trash.”

Grenier said the selectmen and solid waste committee intend to review the regulations after they have been in place for a while to see if they need adjustment.