Ossipee — May 18, 2009 — Last year the town of Ossipee incinerated up 904 tons of waste and what wasn’t burned at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit was recycled or sent to landfills elsewhere in the state. Next year, the number of burnable tons will eventually become zero as the town readies to close the trash incinerator that has been in operation since 1987.

Effective July 1, the town will move to 100 percent mandatory recycling for all residents. Residents are already participating wholeheartedly in recycling by tossing glass, tin, aluminum, paper and other byproducts of living into the clearly marked stalls at the dump.

Residents will have to get used to separating glass from cans and so forth, but they will be able to recycle different types of plastics. And if the waste can’t be recycled, such as household garbage, the trash will be compacted and taken to the landfill in Berlin.

Transfer Station Supervisor Ron Davis escorted a tour of the facility recently to show the various recycling stations and the progress made thus far for the new trash compactors. The compactors will be installed on a small ‘rail system’ so the end-product can be hauled off via tractor trailer. The facility already recycles many waste products, from glass to tin to electronics and used oil and batteries. For a fee, residents can get rid of larger items like old appliances and construction debris.

There are even large yellow bins from Planet Aid for old clothing and shoes. And residents are getting the message. At a recent board of selectmen meeting, chair Kathleen Maloney reported that 406 vehicles visited the town transfer station on Earth Day weekend.

“More people participated than voted” at town meeting, she noted.

At the May 4 board meeting, Public Works Director Brad Harriman reported that the prep work for the compactors is a few weeks ahead of schedule. A full list of recyclables and fees is available at town hall and on the town’s web site, www.ossipee.org/departments/incinerator.