As reported in a recent issue of the Press, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) at their Feb. 26 meeting regretfully accepted a resignation from the Transfer Station Committee, leaving that organization with more vacancies than members. This prompted Selectman Ron Ricci to ask, “Is anyone left on that committee?”
Having a journalistic interest in the affairs of the transfer station, I thought that was a good question, and I decided to look into the matter. I interviewed the remaining two members of the committee and the BOS liaison to the committee to find out what’s up.
“Dormant” was one word used to describe its current status. The committee is principally responsible at this point for volunteer coordination, and there is less need for volunteers at the transfer station than there used to be. The committee did awaken temporarily from its dormancy this winter to support a high school student’s Styrofoam recycling project. (Save your clean #6 Styrofoam for the next event, which will be held on Saturday, May 11.)
The committee was responsible for the change from our previous system of extensive sorting of recyclable waste by volunteers, to the present “co-mingling” arrangement. The goals of that effort were to increase our recycling rate and reduce solid waste trucking. Both goals have been met, but the new approach has also changed the nature of the volunteer job. Having spent more than a few solitary Wednesday morning hours “on duty” at the transfer station, I can attest that it is no longer the social experience it used to be. In the old days, I remember arriving with my recyclables and being greeted by a group of volunteers in the sorting shed, happily carrying out their sorting and bagging duties—a rather festive atmosphere (sometimes including music). The present job description is, shall we say, less stimulating. It has proven difficult to find enough volunteers to fill the need, even though one can still qualify for a free dump sticker by serving a sufficient number of shifts. I understand the problem. It requires people with both the time and the inclination. As I “unretired” this year, I no longer have the time myself.
Low membership not new
This problem is not new. If Mr. Ricci had asked his question about the remaining number of committee members in 2007, the answer would have been one! An article in the Press that year, profiling the then-new DPW chief Rich Nota, reported that the recycling committee consisted of one person—Chris Ryan, who had been involved in Harvard’s program since it was created in 1989. Chris continues as chairperson of the current transfer station committee.
In the Press profile, Mr. Nota listed a number of initiatives he had in mind that would enhance operation of the transfer station. In addition to increasing the town’s recycling rate, he was interested in creating a compost area, making the take-it-or-leave-it area more user friendly, and reenergizing volunteers. The volunteer force had dropped from about 100 people to 15.
The committee has not been successful in its efforts to improve the TIOLI area, due largely to the extensive volunteer effort that would be required. An improvement that would reap a number of benefits would be the addition of a covered space for the items left there. As it is now, anything not taken by the end of operations on Wednesdays or Saturdays goes into the dumpster—very wasteful. Establishing a compost area would also involve a lot of work, at least initially, but the rewards could be significant.
A place for civic engagement
Perhaps not coincidentally, I’ve noticed an increasing number of plastic bins for commercial “curbside” pickup on roads around town, a development I find somewhat concerning. Of course, people are free to pay (a hefty sum) to have their trash taken away, rather than paying for a dump sticker. In some towns, there is no choice, and that service is included in one’s tax bill. We do have a choice. I wonder how many of the pay-to-take-it-away folks have experienced the joys of the transfer station? It has been, and could increasingly be in the future, a connecting spot for civic engagement. Envision a viable, well-organized, covered space for leaving things that are no longer useful for you, but might be for others—and a place to find treasures for free. Envision a supply of rich soil built up over a period of years by compost contributions from Harvard residents. Envision a community gathering spot in the middle of it all.
All of these are possible, but not without a revitalized volunteer effort. Other towns have done it. Why not Harvard?
Contact Bolton Road resident Glenn Williams at gwilliams024@gmail.com.
