Recycling pays off for city

Date: 6/30/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE -- There are advantages for a city to be the site of a landfill -- over $1 million of them.

Waste Management officials presented the city of Chicopee with a check for more than $1.1 million on June 25, reflecting the annual hosting fee it pays to the city and savings generated by recycling.

This was a slight increase over last year's amount.

Mayor Michael Bissonnette said, "Because of the great strides due to recycling and single stream recycling we can keep this landfill open for another five years, at least."

Thomas Murray, the senior district manager for Waste Management, said at this time the closing date for the landfill is 2015. Simply put, he explained, the more trash that can be recycled, the less that has to go into the landfill and the longer it can stay open.

Bissonnette said that keeping the landfill open until then will save the residents about $5 million. He added that with this landfill staying open, the city will not have to impose any sort of trash fee to help pay for disposal.

The contract between the city and Waste Management stays in effect as long as the landfill remains open. Currently the city pays a tipping fee of $33.58 for each ton of trash deposited in the landfill. Waste Management charges non-contractual dumpers $100 or more a ton.

If the city had to use another landfill, the tipping fee would be about $70 a ton.

Besides operating the landfill and recycling program, Waste Management also conducts an annual hazardous waste collection day. In May, residents dropped off about 2,500 gallons of waste such as pool chemicals, vehicle fluids, household cleaners, as well as over 1,300 linear feet of fluorescent light bulbs, 26 compact bulbs and 48 vehicle batteries.

"We're proud to continue our partnership with the city of Chicopee," Murray said. "We're always looking for ways to make recycling easier. Waste Management was the first solid waste company to focus on residential single stream recycling locally that allows people to mix recyclable materials in one collection bin. The easier it is to recycle, the more people will do it. We look forward to continuing our work to invest in green solutions for Chicopee residents."