News

Other towns' trash not wanted
Dump stickers working well
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray-The Gray Town Council heard a report from the Solid Waste Committee and Transfer Station Director Monday night on whether to keep using the stickers that allow residents' entry into the town's transfer station. The stickers cost $5 and are issued to Gray residents only.

The Transfer Station takes in recycling materials and non-recyclable trash. The non-recycling material is hauled to the Regional Waste Systems plant and the Town is charged by the ton to dispose of it. If neighboring towns' residents use the Transfer Station, it increases to the cost to Gray to dispose of the trash. Above, the Transfer Station in Gray could see as many as 200 vehicles come thorugh on a weekend day.

Transfer Station Director Randy Cookson said that there is a relatively low percentage of non-residents attempting to use Gray's facility, but that he and the Committee consider the stickers a good filter.

Council Vice-Chair Richard Barter said that compliance is probably because Gray is attentive to the sticker issue and Station employees check for them frequently.

The main discussion was not whether to continue using the stickers. After a few minutes all were agreed that they serve their purpose. The council debated whether to increase the fee, lower the fee, and how to collect the fee. Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz reported that in 2001, 1,265 dump stickers were issued. At $3 per sticker the revenue to the Town was $3,795. In 2002, 713 were issued, bringing in $2,140. In 2003 the sticker fee increased to $5 and 1,892 were issued, bringing in $9,460. Berkowitz said that although the money goes into the General Revenue account, the Transfer Station line in the budget is eventually offset by the amount brought in.

Councilor Jack Goosetrey wanted to raise the fee to $15, while Councilor Matt Sturgis wanted to lower it to $1, to cover costs of printing them. "Taxpayers already pay for it through their taxes," Sturgis said. Goosetrey said that a higher charge would be more meaningful and the residents would take better care of their stickers. As for fears that a higher fee would drive citizens to simply dump in the woods, "They do that anyway," Goosetrey said.

The Council decided to keep the fee at $5 per year.

Collecting the fees is an inconvenience to the Transfer Station attendants, Peter Thoits of the Solid Waste Committee said. The attendants are strapped as it is handling the material and collecting cash on the Transfer Station grounds preventsthem from attending to a smooth flow of material to appropriate areas. Berkowitz praised Cookson's administrative record-keeping, but urged residents to obtain their stickers at Town Office prior to using the Station.

The Council did agree to hire a gatekeeper to be in charge of spot-checking for stickers and to collect the fees. The gatekeeper would be stationed at the gate at unannounced frequent periods throughout the year. Anyone without a sticker will have to buy one or will be turned away.