The Presque Isle Landfill and Tri-Community Landfill in Fort Fairfield will be merging operations effective Jan. 1, 2019. Presque Isle, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, and Limestone will all combine their solid waste infrastructure and be owners of a new entity that will be known as Aroostook Waste Solutions.
Many things will remain the same as they are now such as continuing to utilize the Presque Isle Landfill for disposal.
However, some aspects will change. How we do recycling will change significantly. The materials that we recycle will remain much the same, but the way recyclables are collected will be different. Currently, recyclables are collected at your house on the same day your trash is picked up. Your recyclables that have been set at the curb in blue bags or clear bags have been delivered to the Recycling Center for processing by your hauler. This system is called “curbside recycling.” Curbside recycling will continue just as it is being done now through the end of this year.
Starting in 2019, recycling will switch to a “drop-off recycling” program. In a drop-off program, you must deliver your recyclables to a collection site. Three locations using Igloos are planned for Presque Isle for the convenience of residents. There will be one drop-off location in both Mapleton and Washburn as well. Recyclables will no longer be picked up at your house when the drop-off program starts in January.
In the interim, recycling at curbside will continue just as it has since 1990. You can also deliver your recyclables to the Recycling Center at 655 Missile Street on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of the year. Beginning in January, the Recycling Center on Missile Street will no longer be open, because all processing of recyclables will be done at the Tri-Community Landfill site.
We want to inform you of these forthcoming changes, so that you can plan accordingly. There will be no need to purchase blue bags or clear bags for recycling for 2019 because there will be no curbside program then. As the merger gets closer, we will provide more details on all aspects of recycling and landfill operations, so that you can make informed decisions.
If you have any questions about refuse disposal or recycling, please contact the Solid Waste Division at 760-2712 or visit the City’s website at www.presqueislemaine.gov.
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.
