As we all (I hope) know by now, the Brunswick Landfill on Graham Road will close permanently on April 1. When that happens, the hours of operation will change dramatically, the nature of what can be taken there will also change, and there will be a new fee structure in place. The weekly curbside pickup of trash will not be affected in any way.
In general, the Graham Road facility — now called a processing facility — will continue to accept clean wood waste, brush, leaves, grass, scrap metal, white goods, tires, electronic waste, and universal waste.
It will not accept trash, recycling (cardboard, paper, plastic, glass), asphalt shingles, concrete/masonry, used motor oil, and hazardous waste.
The hours of operation will now be only Friday and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (which means you need to be gone by 3, not just arrive). You will continue to need a permit to leave materials there, which will continue to cost $5 for a residential permit, and $25 for a commercial permit. Current permits remain good.
In addition, separate fees will be charged for specific items, including some for which we have not been charged in the past. Here’s the current list (subject to change) for residential drops. Commercial rates are much higher and posted at brunswickme.org.
- Annual Permit: $5
- Brush $10 per cubic yard
- Leaves and grass: Free
- Electronic waste $5 per item
- Scrap metal: Free
- White goods (washers, dryers, freezers, AC units, etc.): $10 each
- Tires: $5 each
- Universal waste (LEDs, TVs, monitors, fluorescent tubes, mercury devices, etc): Free
- Wood waste: $10 per cubic yard
There is a minimum charge of $5 for charged residential materials, and it’s not clear how they propose to measure the size of the load in cubic yards, since no two cars or trucks are the same size inside or in the bed. They also have not charged for brush in the past, and it’s not clear what they hope to accomplish with the stiff fees ($15-$30 per load) now.
Bulky waste, like chairs, mattresses, carpets, etc., is no longer acceptable at Graham Road as of April 1. Residents and businesses can dispose of their bulky waste at the Pine Tree Waste/Casella transfer station in West Bath (64 Arthur J. Reno Road, off State Road, which is Bath Road in Brunswick).
Recycling should be put at the curb as we do it now. Please flatten cardboard boxes, and do not put stuff in the bins inside any other container (like a plastic bag) as well.
For motor oil and hazardous waste, I recommend Riverside Recycling, of which I will have more in an upcoming column. They are at riversiderecycles.com/hazardous-waste.
For issues or further questions, the Public Works Department is at 725-6654, or by email at publicworks@brunswickme.org.
The Recycle Bin is a weekly column on what to recycle, what not to recycle, and why, in Brunswick. The public is encouraged to submit questions by email to brunsrecycleinfo@gmail.com. Harry Hopcroft is a member of the Brunswick Recycling and Sustainability Committee.
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