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The Board of Selectmen has struggled with waste management for as long as I can remember. Without ever studying the problem or consulting the electorate, our town managers have experimented with curb side pickup, a pseudo-transfer station, and, most recently, a cart system.

The cart system was quietly selected by the BoS in the spring of 2006. Each household — regardless of occupancy — was assigned a 64 gallon cart. During the rollout, you could choose a 96 gallon cart for no additional charge. You had to proactively ask for this. After the rollout, ‘upgrading’ from a 64 gallon cart to a 96 gallon cart cost $50. A second cart costs $240 per year.

We were promised savings of $36,000. Instead, the cost of collection increased $48,918.89 in 2006. Let’s not forget the fees — to upgrade your cart, have a second cart, or have an appliance removed. We pay extremely high rates for appliance removal.

Costs continue to rise and the BoS is once again looking to us for help. Selectmen have only one idea — transfer cost. Transfer cost from the town to the individual, and transfer cost from one individual to another. Their belief is that making trash removal extremely expensive will discourage curbside removal. I agree. Unfortunately, I think the alternatives are worse. If removal becomes too expensive, people will store waste on their premises or dump it in the town forest.

Are there alternatives? I think so. Education, personal gain, and convenience are key to voluntary participation. If we help people understand the value of reducing curbside waste, let them share in the savings, and make it all easy, Danville will reduce curbside waste.

Before entering into negotiations Waste Management, the BoS should have done a study of our trash profile, preference for available options, and sensitivity to tax impact. This conversation should be ongoing. We should benchmark surrounding towns for ideas that appeal to taxpayers for cost and service level so that each negotiation cycle returns maximum value to the taxpayer.

The BoS should produce a video demonstrating recycling — crushing cans, flattening boxes and milk jugs, and bundling cardboard. Start out with an overflowing 96 gallon cart. The recycler could take out each item, determine if it should be recycled, put the things that can not be recycled in a 64 gallon cart, and the rest in a recycle bin or trash cam marked recycle. At the end, the recycler would proudly display a less-than-full 64 gallon cart and an overflowing recycle bin. A voice over or caption would reveal the percent of trash by weight was recycled and it’s impact on the recycler’s tax bill. It sounds corny, but people are not aware of all the things that can be recycled and do not link recycling to taxes. Put this on channel 20 and the web site. Give a copy to the schools. Put it on the computers in the library.

Recycling is inconvenient. We have two people (at least) hanging out at the fire station all day. How about we take hazardous materials at the fire station for the week before a hazardous waste collection?

BTW, bulky pickup is the most eco-friendly aspect of our recycling program. I put my stuff out days early and, generally, it’s gone long before the truck shows up. It’s not how much you recycle, it’s how much you do not landfill.

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