Saugus recycling center to close for the winter season

SAUGUS-Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone is having a hard time letting go even for a season.Cerbone’s pilot recycling drop off center and the town’s composting site, both located behind the Department of Public Works, are slated to close for the season Saturday.Cerbone opened the drop off center in September with the idea that it would make hard-to-get-rid-of items, like televisions and computer monitors, easier to toss. She also hoped it might cut down on the number of people who were tossing said items into the woods – and it did.Between instating weekly curbside recycling and the free drop off center, not only did her recycling percentages increase, but the number of illegal dumpers went down.”I’m so excited,” Cerbone said. “We took in just over 1,000 computers and TVs and I had not one illegal dumping report for a TV or computer since we opened. To me that’s huge.”Cerbone said she offered the program largely as an incentive for people to do the right thing and she was thrilled to see that they did.”I’ve never had such good feedback,” she said. “I find there’s been more enthusiasm to do the right thing.”The only segment of the town that has been frustrated with recycling are those that live in condominiums. Some condo owners have been left wondering if and how they are allowed to recycle.Cerbone said unfortunately condo dwellers cannot participate in the town’s curbside recycling program because the properties take care of their own trash pickup. She said recycling within the complex could happen but it would have to be offered through the condominium association, which is something she hopes to see in the future.”As for the drop off center, we would welcome condo owners at the drop off center,” she said.Unfortunately, she added, they will have to start their recycling in the spring since the drop off center closes for the season on Dec. 13.Cerbone said she expects it will reopen in the spring and she is hopeful that the center will remain a free enterprise.