Public Works

Recycling and Waste Management Program

Ann Dorfman,
Program Administrator

Curbside Collection, Disposal, and Processing

The municipal curbside collection program provided trash and recycling services to 3,255 households. During fy06 (July 05-June 06) subscribers to the municipal collection program set out 1,539 tons of mixed paper, 447 tons of commingled containers, and 2,552 tons of trash for collection. The average household that subscribes to the town program recycled .61 tons of materials and threw away 0.79 tons of trash.

Curbside Recycling Rate Remains in the Top Ten in the Commonwealth

Residents in Concord's municipal collection program recycled almost 45% of the materials they set at the curb, making Concord among the top ten curbside recycling programs in the State. This figure does not include yard waste, which residents manage at home or drop off at the Composting Site on Saturdays from April through November. It also does not include information on the more than 1,000 households that contract with private haulers for the collection of their trash and recyclable materials.

Recycling Savings Reach $1M

The recycling program receives revenue for recycled paper and saves money by not paying to dispose of this paper as trash. Since July 1998, when the town began receiving revenue for recycled paper, recycled paper revenue has totaled $283,008, and avoided disposal costs have totaled $791,289, for an overall savings of $1,074,297. In 2006 the Municipal Collection Program received an average of $16.66 per ton for recycled paper collected at the curb, with revenue of $23,259, a drop of almost 30% from last year due to a decrease in the value of paper. The revenue was rebated to subscribers of the program in the form of a paper revenue rebate of $4.00 in the fall of 2006 and an anticipated rebate of $3.00 in the Spring of 2007.

Reuse and Recycling DropOff & SwapOff Rebounds

Books were one important item contributed for recycling at Drop-Off Swap-Off Day in the Spring

A sunny day brought over 960 households to reusit and cpw's Spring DropOff/SwapOff event, by far the largest turnout ever (that's one car every 21 seconds). This increase in attendance was the result of the previous two SwapOffs having been cancelled due to rain. The fall event was a more manageable size, attended by only 728 households, the smallest fair weather event since 2001. The new item collected in 2006 was books for reuse or recycling.

Concord Conserves

From April 21-May 20 Concord celebrated the first annual Concord Conserves month, a month-long initiative that highlighted new and existing opportunities for Concord residents and businesses to improve our environment through conservation. Highlights of this initiative included the Recycle More campaign which provided daily awards to the "Recycler of the Day" for recycling over 50% of material set at the curb.

Thoreau School Furniture Donated to Jamaican Schools

Concord Public Works helped coordinate the donation of four shipping crates containing over 800 pieces of used school furniture from the old Thoreau School to "Food for the Poor," a program that distributed the furniture to schools in Jamaica.

Composting Site Turns Yard Waste into Garden Gold

From April through November 2006 residents made 7,212 visits to the Composting Site, dropping off approximately 800 tons of leaves, grass clippings, and brush. Over 2,000 residents took home compost made from this yard waste for reuse in their own yards. Additional compost was donated to Gaining Ground.