By Brooks Payette

Staff Writer

    Ecomaine officially started up its new recycling
center in Portland last week, a single sort system that ecomaine
General Manager Kevin Roche said will revolutionize the way Maine
recycles.

    The plant is just the third of its kind in the New
England Region and Roche said the plant hopes to expand on the 28
communities already a part of ecomaine.

    The system is already affecting how communities handle their waste.

    The new sysem was instumental in Scarborough's
decision to begin curb-side pickup of recyclables on May 1. Saco is set
to begin in service with the family in July, severing a 20-year
relationship with the Maine Energy Recovery Company in Biddeford.

    South Portland will explore moving from manual
curb-side recycling pick up to an automated system next year when it's
current contract with Pine Tree waste is completed, said City Manager
Ted Jankowski.

    In Cape Elizabeth, Town Council Chair Paul McKenney
is interested in exploring ways the system can help his town increase
its recycling rate and reduce its garbage disposal costs.

    The $3.7 million plant, which Roche called an
investment in the community, held an open house tour on May 3, at the
new plant on Blueberry Road. The  system allows for residents to
put all their recyclables into one container and for municipalities to
deliver the recyclables mixed before they are sorted at the plant.
Roche said that simplicity of it should expand participation throughout
Maine and help communities save money.

    “We are happy to work with as many communities that
want to work with us,” said Roche. “We need your material. We welcome
new communities to join our effort.”

    Roche said that “single sort” recycling has benefits
for residents and municipalities and can benefit a city or town of any
size. He said it eliminates clutter in homes by not having to use two
or more recycling containers.

    With the curbside pick-up program, residents would
have one container for trash and one container for all recyclables.
Ecomaine claims that curbside pickup has increased recycling by an
average of 67 percent in six communities.

    With all the sorting done at the plant in Portland,
most  by machine and some manually, it also eliminates curbside
sorting by truck operators.

    Roche said cities and towns were looking at a way to
speed up the collection process and eliminate time spent idling by
municipal vehicles. It is expected to be a cost and time saver for
participating communities.

    South Portland city councilor and board member of ecomaine Linda Boudreau agreed with that expectation.

    “Communities pay by the ton to dispose of their
municipal solid waste, so when the weight of recyclable material is
removed from the waste stream, the cost goes down,” she said.
“Statistics have repeatedly shown that the easier it is for residents
to recycle, the more they will recycle, It’s just human nature. Taking
recyclables to the end of your driveway is obviously more convenient
than making a special trip to the transfer station.”

    Beginning in January, Saco will be using the “single
sort” system and send its recyclables to ecomaine via a curbside pick
up. Saco is currently under contract for its recyclables with Corcoran
Environmental until the end of the year.

    Saco City Councilor Eric Cote, an avid
conservationist, said it is a good decision made by the city earlier
this year.

    “What I like the most about ecomaine is they are
focused on what’s best for the future of waste management,” Cote said.

    Since ecomaine charges for waste and not
recyclables, increased recycling could result in a large savings for
towns and cities.

    “The goal is to move a lot more of trash to
recycling,” said Cote. “Every ton we send as recyclables and not trash
is $70.50 the city saves.”

    Ecomaine member communities, who carry ownership
costs including debt payments, pay substantially more per ton for
incinerated waste. Cape Elizabeth's McKenney put the town’s savings at
$159 per ton.

    The single sort system has also expanded the number
of items that can be recycled. Nearly 75-percent (by weight) of the
product coming into the plant is fiber, or paper products. Those paper
products that can be recycled include cardboard, junk mail, magazines,
catalogs, gift wrap, shopping bags,  milk and juice cartons and
books.

    Under the new system, seven types of plastics are
recyclable. In the past, only two types were acceptable. In addition to
the plastic, foil, cans, pots and pans, empty aerosol cans, and empty
bottles and jars are accepted. That includes any color glass.

    Items not recycled by the plant include light bulbs,
hypodermic needles, sharp objects, toys, Styrofoam packing and peanuts,
food bags, potato chip bags and bubble wrap.

    Despite the positives, Cote said it is still up in
the air of how effective single stream recycling is. He said that
because everything is mixed together, there is a level of
contamination. Cote said he is anxious to see how the program works in
Scarborough during the next few months before Saco implements it the
first of the year.

    Roche said the plant, under its current schedule, is
capable of recycling 25,000 tons of material a year. He added that the
plant can easily expand that number by expanding its hours. Currently,
the plant runs just 10 hours a day and does not run on the weekends at
all.

    Steve Simard, ecomaine single sort recycling
facility manager, said the plant is capable of sorting out and packing
18 tons of paper per hour and about another two tons of other
materials, such as bottles, cans, and other materials. 

Roche said  the goal of ecomaine is to reach 50 percent of all
waste coming in as recycled in order to take more waste away from going
to landfills.

    Roche said towns can also compact the recyclable
material before shipping it to the plant. He said a pilot program was
run in Lyman, where the town cut down the yearly load shipment of 81
annually to just 24. That helped the town save approximately $7,125 a
year.

    Roche estimated the plant will make about $2 million
in revenues from marketing the recyclable material and is currently
operating with a $1.5 million budget. He said an increased volume will
make the plant much more effective.

    “We need volume,” said Roche. “The only way to cover costs with volume.”

    Revenues that exceed the plant's expenses will be
used to subsidize the cost of operating the incinerator and landfill.