2021 Transfer Station annual report

Before recapping 2021, I want to offer some explanation about the increase in the Solid Waste budget in this year’s Town Meeting warrant. That is being driven by two factors.

One, the cost of waste disposal – the expense of hauling garbage from the Transfer Station to the landfill – has ballooned in recent months. That necessitated a $20,000 increase in waste disposal over what was budgeted in 2021. Disposal rates are scheduled to increase 3 percent on July 1. That is in addition to a 33-percent rise in the cost of disposing demolition wood.

Two, staffing was a challenge in 2021 and remains an issue for 2022. Several applicants at the Transfer Station turned down job offers after learning what wages were. The need to increase wages to compete for workers is prompting a proposed $15 minimum wage for Town workers and a $1.50 per hour raise for current employees to ensure we can retain the talent we have. Two other warrant articles will further impact the Transfer Station. We need to build up the Solid Waste capital reserve to ensure we have the financial resources necessary should the hopper/compactor or any other equipment needed to operate the facility suffers a catastrophic breakdown. This year’s budget proposes moving $65,000 from the undesignated fund – tax dollars collected but not spent in prior budget years – to the Solid Waste capital reserve account. Once we have paid for a new compactor container, that would leave a balance of about $100,000 – enough to address any unforeseen and debilitating need. Another article proposes using up to $59,000 from the undesignated fund to replace the Transfer Station’s skid steer. The current skid steer would be used by the Facilities Maintenance Department, eliminating $8,000 in rental costs each year. Neither of these moves would require collecting additional taxes this year.

In 2022 the Transfer Station and Recycling Center Committee, along with the Transfer Station Director, will work to acquire grants to improve the facility. We will also explore new recycling programs, and develop five- and 10-year facility improvement/maintenance plans. We will also reapply for the SHAPE program (Safety and Health Award for Public Employers), a designation we have earned from the Maine Department of Labor and from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) since 2017.

In 2021, the Transfer Station completed a much-needed repaving project around the recycling center. This year’s paving article includes paving the rest of the complex, including Transfer Station Road. One success in 2021 was record local participation in the two regional household hazardous waste events. The tonnage disposed of at the facility was almost identical to 2020. We saw a marked increase in revenue from $38,683 in 2020 to $61,678 in 2021. However, the recyclables market slumped significantly at year’s end, so we have budgeted only $30,000 in revenue this year.

Respectfully submitted,

Ken Scheno, Transfer Station Director