#LaconiaCityBoxscore — July 27: Careful with that recycling, city says

LACONIA — About 25 percent of the material that goes through the regional recycling center is trash, the city said in a news release.

That’s important because the city pays its recycling processor $104 a ton for material that was placed in recycling bins but could not be recycled, versus just $85 a ton to send it to an incinerator that is used in a process that generates electricity.

Also, countries and companies are rejecting recyclable material that has more than a 0.5 percent contamination rate.

For those reasons, the city is recommending that people be more careful about what they put into recycling, and it put out the following statement:

“Plastic bags jam up the sorting equipment at the recycling facility and are thrown away. Do not put any plastic bags or other flimsy plastic material in with your recycling. Put them in the trash. One dirty recycling bottle can contaminate an entire load. Make sure all plastic bottles are clean and dry with the cap removed.

“Paper plates, paper towels and paper napkins with food waste will contaminate a load. Throw all recyclable products that have food waste on them in the trash. Although glass is recyclable there is no regional market for the material. Place all of your glass in the trash.

“Greasy pizza boxes are trash. Cut off the top and recycle it if there is no grease on the top. Throw the bottom of the box into the trash. If plastic material does not have a recycling label throw it in the trash. If you are unsure whether a product is recyclable or not, throw it out.”

Online:

Recycling calendar and guidelines — https://tinyurl.com/y2kvy3r5

They said it:

“I’m still of the opinion it would be a mistake to do any kind of a rehab of that building. I don’t see it functioning as a city parking structure in the future.” — Laconia City Councilor David Bownes on a $4.5 million cost estimate to repair and refurbish the city’s dilapidated downtown parking garage.

Facebook comment:

“Either the city is going to go down the route of further downtown development, pushing more business to the area, and requiring more high-density parking or it is going to go down the route of wide development. The current trend in Laconia seems to be that more downtown development, renovation, and conservation is the way to go. Given the mood to fund the Colonial, protect St. Joseph's, create new parking, the refurbishment of the mill, the variety of new businesses opening and renovating downtown, and the replacement of the Defiant One, this definitely seems what the town, in general, wants. …"

– Zack Horne, on the downtown parking garage.

Coming up

A subcommittee of the Laconia City Planning Board will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday to consider creating a Historic District in the downtown area.

Consideration of such a district grew out of concerns about plans to demolish St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Church leaders later said they would work with the city to preserve the structure.

In addition to the three buildings on the church campus, the railroad station and the library will be considered for the district, which would be intended to preserve structures within its boundaries.

Filing period

The candidate filing period for mayor, city councilors in all six wards, police commission and school board, among other offices, begins on Aug. 7 and ends on Aug. 16.

Laconia City Clerk’s office: 603-527-1265

2019 Municipal Election Positions — https://tinyurl.com/y2nrn9do