Holidays busy for trash processing
IN THE CITY
By Dana Fowler
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.
The Presque Isle Landfill will be open regular hours on Friday, December 23rd and Saturday, the 24th. Weekday hours are 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30-11:30 a.m. The recycling center will be open from 7:30-11:30 a.m. on Friday, December 23rd and then will be closed the remainder of the day. Both the landfill and recycling center will be closed all day on December 26th in observance of Christmas and on January 2nd in observance of New Year’s Day.
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 pages 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, and the Washburn Snowmobile Clubhouse located past Hobbs storage building. Please remove all decorations from the tree and do not leave your tree in a plastic bag.
Pay As You Throw (PAYT) bag prices will remain the same for 2017, but tipping fees at the landfill will increase by $2.50 per ton for vehicles that are weighed. PAYT will continue the same as it has in the past through March 2017.
Starting in April, PAYT will be discontinued and homeowners will have the choice of selecting a refuse collection company to collect their trash or transporting their own trash to the landfill.
If you have any questions about Pay As You Throw, recycling, or landfill rules, please contact the Solid Waste Division at 760-2712.
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.
