No more free riders. Garbage-filled cars will need valid permits to drive past the tollgate into the town’s trash transfer station.
Starting May 1, the town is warning citizens, staff will be out checking cars that drop off trash at the transfer station for the $20 permits that not enough people have bothered to purchase.
“Unfortunately, this year, only about half of those who were permitted last year have actually purchased their new permits,” the town said in an April 8 letter to permit holders. “This has caused a cash shortfall which will make our operation difficult to continue along this path.
“We will now have to begin verifying the purchase of the permits when using the Transfer Station and Recycling Facility,” the letter said.
“This action will commence May 1st, 2015, and anyone who does not show an actual permit will not be allowed to enter the facility.”
People who have already bought 2014-15 permits don’t need to buy another one now, they just need to have the permit with them and show it at the gate.
“If you already have a permit, you’re fine,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.
The $20 annual permits may be purchased at Town Hall, in the information office, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The town’s letter is apologetic.
“It is with great regret that we find it necessary to have to take this type of action,” it says, “but we are left with no alternative.”
Yes, it’s about the money.
The budget for operating the recycling center was built around projected income of about $60,000 from permit sales.
“We’re a little over $20,000 under where we should be,” Marconi said this week.
Little enforcement
Marconi had some theories as to why permits haven’t been renewed at last year’s level.
Basically, it’s because the town — and firm that runs the transfer station on contract — haven’t been checking for them.
“The issue this year that we did not anticipate is that Wheelabrator, the operator of the scale house, no longer requires tokens. There’s an automatic credit-card kiosk — you put your credit card in, swipe it, the gate goes up, and you go through. And they’ve stopped checking cars on the residential side,” Marconi said.
“Also, we do not have anyone checking permits at our recycling facility,” he said.
“This has resulted in a greatly reduced revenue stream, which is needed to support single-stream recycling, as well as the balance of the facility.”
Income from the $20 permits was added to the town’s formula for making the trash and recycling operations self-supporting a couple of years ago, after a reduction in income from recycled bottles, paper, cardboard, and the like.
“Remember, we used to separate everything — green, clear, brown? We were able to sell those directly to the bottle companies.”
A change in the company doing most of the trash routes in town, as well as the advent of single-stream recycling, were pushing the operation into the red.
“The new company that’s come in has gone to single-stream — the whole world has gone to single-stream — and as a result our income had fallen off substantially, and we had to make the changeover, which means that in order to keep the facility open, we had to begin charging the annual fee: $20,” Marconi said.
It worked last year. This year, the permit sales have fallen off — so the town says it will start checking for them more aggressively.
Next year
While current permit holders don’t need to get another one now, everyone who wishes to continue using the transfer station or recycling center will have to buy a 2015-16 permit after the current fiscal year ends June 30.
“They’re renewable July 1,” Marconi said. “At the end of this fiscal year you’ll need to buy a new one.
“Some people are saying, ‘It’s May, April: Why should I have to get a new permit now?’ Well, because you haven’t paid for this year,” Marconi said.
In addition to permits, people using the transfer station have to pay per-visit fees that start at $5 for cars and go up based on load weight for trucks.
“If you want to get rid of MSW — mass solid waste, garbage — then you have to go through the gate and pay an additional fee — which is a minimum of $5, depending, for every resident vehicle,” Marconi said.
“You still have to pay for mass solid waste. If you’re just going to recycle, you can go in, recycle and leave — as long as you have a permit.”
Mr. Marconi said the town is working on plans to reconfigure the entrances to the two facilities, improving flow in and out of both — and making permit checking more part of the routine.
The letter ends on a positive note: “We thank you for your cooperation and hope to be bringing new and innovative recycling plans to the facility in the future.”