The town of Guilford has opted to resume collection of its own municipal trash and recycling, rather than contracting with a service to empty the bins. With that change underway, town officials recently discussed why they have decided to do so, and what can be done to help residents recycle correctly.

For about the last decade, the town has contracted with a company to collect and empty the trash and recycle barrels located around town. Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard said the town previously conducted its own pick-up, but that, at that time, there were too many challenges.

“Our guys were lifting 55 pound barrels up onto the back of a dump truck and we had back and shoulder injuries,” he said. “It wasn’t the good way to do it and we didn’t have the right equipment.”

The town now has the proper equipment. In May, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) approved the purchase of a trash truck and something called a Perkins dump body for $126,600. The trash truck is an independent vehicle and the dump body is a large container that can be put on the back of one of the town’s existing trucks for recycling collection. Both pieces of equipment come with a grabber to lift the barrels.

Maynard said the cost of bringing the municipal collection system in-house is almost a wash, but that it provides the town with enough flexibility to improve service.

“We can be more responsive because if we have a contract and let’s say they are scheduled for Mondays and Fridays, but trash is overflowing on a Wednesday [and instead we’re handling collection in-house], I can send a couple guys out if I know a couple barrels are overflowing at Jacobs Beach,” he said. “It’s a little harder to do that with a contract.”

Maynard came back to the BOS on June 3 for approval to purchase 70 trash barrels and 46 recycling barrels from Schaefer Systems International at a cost of $8,210, which will be paid out of the Parks & Recreation program account. Maynard said the barrels will be clearly labeled either trash or recycling, but selectmen had some concerns about how people recycle.

Selectman Charlie Havrda said residents can sometimes get confused about what can and cannot be recycled. He said that is a bigger issue than some might realize. If an item that cannot be recycled is placed in a recycling barrel, the barrel is then deemed contaminated.

“If the wrong thing gets thrown into a recycling barrel, that barrel ends up going totally into the trash,” he said. “We can’t be dumping out every barrel and sorting it on the sidewalk, but at the same time a little common sense is needed because one wrong item destroys everyone else’s recycling effort.”

Havrda said he knows most people try to do their best when it comes to recycling, but said the town might want to think of a couple ways to help residents.

“Education should be a big part of this, but I also know there are ways to make the openings of the barrels not as accessible to trash, so in other words the top has a hole for cans and things like that,” he said. “It’s so disappointing to hear this, but if you look at the practicality of asking employees to start sorting things, its just unreasonable. Having to sort through other people’s lack of courtesy or lack of understanding slows down the whole process.”

Selectman Lou Federici said one possible solution might be to make all of the recycling barrels in some areas like sports fields just for bottles and cans. He said he realizes that might eliminate some other recyclable items, but the goal would be to try to narrow the items to try to decrease the risk of a Styrofoam dish being tossed in and contaminating the whole barrel.

Maynard said he will look into possible solutions.

“I will reach out to other communities to see if other towns have had more success with this,” he said. “I think we can provide some education and whatever wording we put on the barrels, hopefully that will help.”