Recycling scofflaws paying a price

LYNN – Roughly 15 tickets at $50 apiece have been issued in the past few weeks to residents who have illegally placed cardboard and other recyclable items on the sidewalk for regular trash pickup.Matt Proodian, enforcement recycling coordinator for the Department of Public Works (DPW), hit the streets in March knocking on doors, sending warning notices, and distributing information regarding the city’s curbside recycling program.After the warning period waned, Proodian began handing out tickets to those who failed to comply with the plan.DPW commissioner Manuel Alcantara said residents don’t seem to be listening to the warnings that the DPW has cited.”People always say to me, ‘Oh well, I don’t read (newspapers), so I didn’t know,” he said. “But we posted it on the Web, we’ve issued warnings, and done whatever other means to let them know.”Alcantara said one of the main reasons the city is so adamant about residents not placing cardboard in the trash, is because the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) can ultimately fine the city if it brings the material to an incinerator.While cardboard boxes are required to be flattened and cut to a maximum of 30×30 inches, Alcantara said residents continue to defy the city ordinance.”So Waste Management could then be fined and it would cost the city,” he said. “A lot of people place cardboard boxes inside their trash instead of cut and in a container, and if Matt sees a square shape inside the bag, he will issue a fine.”If the trash is rejected, brightly colored bilingual stickers are placed on the material to inform the resident as to why it was not picked up.Although residents are not required to recycle, sales of $5 recycling bins are reportedly on the rise at the DPW at 250 Commercial St.Compost bins are also available for $25.Businesses that have trash removed by the city have been required to recycle their trash since 2005.An estimated 24 or 25 percent of trash was recycled in the city in 2007, slightly up from 11,529 tons of material recycled in 2006, and 1,829 tons in 2005.Alcantara said residents could bring their trash that is otherwise unacceptable to place at the curb to the DPW on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., free of charge.”They can bring wood, metals, fluorescent light bulbs, and other items,” he said. “We encourage people to bring propane gas tanks to dispose for $5, TVs and computer monitors for $10. Lynn residents just need to bring their driver’s license or identification.”