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(9/10/97)Every once in a while, I need to take off my hat as a cheerleader for recycling and chastise those who, for whatever reason, maliciously undermine our operation.
This morning while walking the site I came across a pile of wood waste and assorted refuse (including a partially full can of insecticide), that someone deposited on our active compost pile. What was ironic about it was that the material was placed all around the sign which explains what can and cannot be placed in the pile.
Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently. Aside from the aggravation factor, this requires valuable human resources to clean up the problem.
We have a fairly straightforward operation. Specific materials must be placed in specific places. It baffles us when we find a picnic table in the scrap metal pile, or roof shingles in the brush pile. Clearly these items do not belong there. We do not have the time or the personnel to monitor each of the 400-600 vehicles that enter the facility each week. We trust people will be responsible and conscientious.
We recognize that many people perceive of recycling, composting or disposal as a giant hassle, and we try to make our operation convenient to minimize the hassle factor. People frequently make honest mistakes and a concerted effort is made to provide direction about how material should be prepared and where it should be placed. But what are we forced to do when people willfully sabotage our efforts?
Then there's theft. The Keene Recycling Center features a Salvage Barn where unwanted items in good condition are made available free of charge to area residents. Somehow this concept seems to apply to anything that isn't nailed down in the facility. The most galling example of this was the recent theft of a small generator that was near the scrap metal pile being used at the time to remove the refrigerants from discarded freezers, air conditioners and refrigerators. The generator was attached to a machine with hoses and valves clearly performing a function. I can't imagine someone thinking, "Hmm, here's a perfectly good generator in the scrap metal pile. It's running and seems to be attached to all these refrigerators, but it's near the scrap metal pile, so therefore no one wants it." A couple of quick disconnects and someone made off with a machine that performs a crucial function for our operation.
I think Corporal Max Klinger from M*A*S*H expressed my sentiments best: to the person who stole our generator, "may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits."
To the overwhelming majority of people who come to the landfill or recycling facility and deposit material in the designated locations, we thank you. It is our pleasure to serve you.
Note: Charlie says - "If you don't know where something goes, please ask."
Duncan Watson is the solid waste coordinator for the Keene, New Hampshire USA Public Works Department.
Charles R. "Charlie" Beauregard is
a Keene solid waste employee and a longtime Swanzey, N.H. planning board
member.