With the end of the year approaching, we would like to pass on some information about the upcoming holidays and new year that may affect you regarding solid waste issues.
First, the landfill and recycling center will be closed on the afternoon of the day before Christmas. The landfill and recycling center will be open from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. on December 24th, Christmas Eve Day. Both the landfill and recycling center will be closing at 11:30 a.m. on December 24th and will be closed all day on December 25th in observance of Christmas.
There will be no Pay As You Throw (PAYT) collection on Christmas Day. However, there will be a PAYT collection on Saturday, December 27th for those Presque Isle residents that normally would have had their PAYT collection on December 25th.
The landfill and recycling center will also be closed on January 1st, New Year’s Day. The PAYT collection normally scheduled for Wednesday, January 1st will be done instead on Saturday, January 3rd.
Every year we receive numerous inquiries about whether Christmas wrapping paper is recyclable. The answer is that wrapping paper is not recyclable and must be treated as refuse. The mills that accept paper for recycling specifically forbid wrapping paper. If you are a hardcore recycler, you may want to consider using the colored comics page from the Saturday newspaper for wrapping gifts because the newspaper can be recycled.
If you are wondering what to do with your natural tree after Christmas, there are several sites where you can drop off your tree at no cost. These include the former Cunningham School lot, Presque Isle Landfill, Presque Isle Recycling Center, Gil’s Sanitation, Star City Sanitation, Mapleton Town Garage, Washburn Snowmobile Club, and the Perham Town Garage. Please remove all decorations from the tree and do not leave your tree in a plastic bag.
All 2015 fees related to solid waste such as the cost of PAYT bags and tipping fees at the landfill will remain the same as 2014. If you have any questions about Pay As You Throw, recycling, or landfill rules, please contact the Solid Waste Division at 760-2712 or visit the city’s website at www.presqueislemaine.com.
Dana H. Fowler, P.E., is public services director for the city of Presque Isle. He can be reached at 760-2707 or via email at dfowler@presqueisleme.us.
