Community Corner

Tolland to Review Recycling System

Town Manager Steven Werbner said that the town will be putting together a survey about the current recycling containers.

Recycling bins may be changing soon across Tolland, but not without the input of town residents.

Town Manager Steven Werbner said that the town will be putting together a survey for residents, asking them if they would be interested in exchanging their current containers for larger models. The survey would also look into how much cost sharing residents might be up for in order to make the change.

The issue was brought up at last night's council meeting, after council member Josh Freeman saw a conversation about current recycling bin sizes and replacement costs on Tolland Patch's Facebook page.

Find out what's happening in Tollandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The town cannot change the current $80 replacement bin policy, since that is at the discretion of the Willimantic Waste Paper Company.

However, Werbner said that it is important to study and encourage Tolland recycling, since it is a surefire way to make money for the town and perhaps create some flexibility in the budget.

Find out what's happening in Tollandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He said that the town brings in about $30,000 a year in recycling revenue and is currently making around $25-30 for every ton of recycled material. Recycling also reduces the amount of solid waste that the town creates, which costs around $60 a ton for disposal, Werbner added.

The survey will create discussion at a crucial time, since there has been a decline in town recycling levels over the last several months, according to Werbner.

Check back with Tolland Patch for more information as the town puts together its recycling survey.


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