Pay-as-you-throw trash removal is coming to Concord, making the city one of nearly 50 communities in the state to adopt the program. Whether you're a proponent or not, the new system starts on July 6.
We've put together an overview of the program with helpful tidbits on recycling – because under the new trash regime, the less you throw away, the more you save.
You might be asking yourself, “What exactly am I supposed to do?” Concord residents fall into one of two categories: those who bring their trash to the curb for pickup (single-family homes and multifamily homes with fewer than seven units), and those who toss it into Dumpsters (apartments and condos). Here's where things stand for each:
Do you bring your trash to the curb?
You're going to start seeing a lot more purple in your life. Starting July 6, all trash left for pickup must be in a city-approved purple trash bag. Trash bags will be available at retail outlets throughout town, including grocery stores, Home Depot, Lowes and hardware stores, starting June 22.
Wondering how much this is going to set you back? A 15-gallon bag, equivalent to 10 pounds of trash, is $1. A 30-gallon bag, equivalent to 20 pounds of trash, is $2. Bear in mind that your average kitchen-size trash container is 13 gallons. If you opt for the larger bag size, make friends with the person bench pressing at the gym, because it gets heavy. There's no limit to the number of bags you can put out each week.
To encourage recycling (and fewer purple bag purchases), recycling will be picked up weekly starting July 6. You can put your recyclables in any container you choose, as long as it's under 40 pounds. That includes trash bins, laundry baskets and even those 30-gallon barrels for you super-recyclers. Just be sure to mark your container “recyclables.” You'll still need to separate paper and cardboard from other recyclables, however.
Do you bring your trash to a Dumpster?
Great, you can ignore all the talk about purple bags. It's business as usual for you where trash is concerned. But here's one thing that is changing: The city will now be charging property management companies for trash removal (there was previously no charge for this service). Properties will be billed for each full container of trash that gets hauled off. That means renters and condo owners may see an increase in rent or fees to offset the cost. Contact your property manager if you have questions about possible changes to rent and fees.
The good news is that recycling containers will be provided for apartments and condos, and there is no charge for recycling pickup. So, if you and your neighbors can reduce your trash generation, you'll reduce the cost of trash pickup for your complex. That's something your landlord will no doubt approve of.
And here's even better news for apartment and condo dwellers – your recycling is single stream, meaning you can dump all recyclables into the same container without separating them. It really doesn't get any easier than that.
A word of caution: Please do not put plastic bags in your recycling bin or package recyclables in plastic bags. Take your plastic bags to your local grocery store and recycle them there.
See? This isn't so complicated. It will just take a little adjusting. We'll have articles coming your way in upcoming editions of The Insider with tips on reducing trash generation thanks to our recycling guru, Elaine Kellerman (who we affectionately refer to as the The Recylinator). Meanwhile, if you have any questions about the program or are looking for more information, visit onconcord.com and click on the pay-as-you-throw logo. You can also call the solid waste department at 230-3912 or e-mail pwinn@onconcord.com.
Still have questions? E-mail news@theconcordinsider.com, leave a comment or write to The Concord Insider, P.O. Box 1177, Concord, NH 03302-1177. We’ll find answers and print them in an upcoming edition of The Insider.
