Hey, Lenox: Please recycle
Town looks to boost its results, promises it will 'do something'

LENOX - Increased education and positive reinforcement were the two principal methods that emerged from a forum hosted by the Board of Health on how to improve the town's recycling record.

The town does not have an exact figure of what percentage of its waste is recycled, according to Town Manager Gregory Federspiel. But, he said, town officials know the amount of recyclable materials that go to the large recycling facilities in Springfield and Chatham, N.Y. And in comparison with other communities its size, Lenox "falls short," he said.

No decisions were made last night, but the board agreed to take all the suggestions under advisement.

Chairman Barbara Kellogg said that while the evidence may be largely anecdotal, town officials believe the community's recycling record can be improved.

She explained that town bylaws require businesses and residents to recycle.

"As we look around town, there are an awful lot of businesses that do not recycle," she said. "There are a large number of residential properties that do not recycle, either."

Kellogg said that the Board of Health is committed to coming up with a plan to improve the town's recycling rate.

"We are going to do something about it," she vowed.

Ideas arise during meeting

Only a half-dozen residents attended the hearing, but several ideas emerged from the 90-minute discussion.

Richard Taylor of Undermountain Road urged the board to seek positive solutions that would not entail fines or some form of punishment.

"I think there are already a lot of people telling me what to do," he said. "I recycle. But I don't want to see yet another set of state regulations. I think we're all on the same side; everybody agrees that recycling is good."

"The people who do recycle ought to get some reward," said resident Alison Snyder. "For the average person, there's no incentive to recycle, except the knowledge that you're doing something good for the planet."

Snyder suggested that a "pay as you throw" system, which calls for residents to buy recycling bags and only pay for the number of bags they use, might be effective.

Suggested solutions

Jamie Cahillane of Lenox Dale, who is also director of recycling services at the Center for Ecological Technology in Pittsfield, suggested a number of strategies, including metal collection days several times a year; a "free-for-all" day several times a year in which residents would put unwanted items at the side of the road for anyone to pick up; public recycling days; and bulky waste pickup days.

On the education side, Evan Shelhumer, a senior and member of the student council at Lenox Memorial High School, volunteered to create a recycling Web site for the town, or add recycling information to the town's Web site. In addition, he suggested that the school could disseminate information to students on recycling at home.

Federspiel suggested that revisiting the possibility of the town taking over garbage pickup and putting it out to bid might be a good idea. Presently, he said, two companies, Daley and Sons and Allied Waste, collect the waste in Lenox. But it is done on a piecemeal basis. Federspiel said dividing the town into two or more segments and putting those routes out the bid would save money for the haulers and the town. Taylor also suggested examining what other communities do to recycle.