Clarence W. Corbin, the Director of Hartford Public Works, and Marilynn Cruz-Aponte, Assistant to the Director of Public Works, spoke to residents as part of the Understanding City Services workshop series tonight at the Hartford Public Library. Corbin mainly covered the single-stream recycling pilot program, while Cruz-Aponte dealt with the proposed Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center.
Corbin’s presentation included background on the single-stream program which was introduced to selective areas in Hartford last May. Much of what he talked about has previously been reported on at Urban Compass, as a press release was sent by the Mayor’s office a few days back. Some of the key facts that he shared:
* It costs about $70/ton to dump garbage, whether it contains recyclable materials or not
* Hartford dumps about 45,000 tons of municipal solid waste (per year, I’m assuming, though he didn’t give a time frame)
* The “Go Green – Use Blue” program collects from 1000 households in the city each day
* 86% of the households in the program are compliant
* $4160 in rebates have been awarded to residents so far
* The single-stream program will only be available to those in 1-6 family residences.
The Department of Public Works is working to figure out how to expand the program, and they expressed hope that all 1-6 family residences in Hartford will be able to participate.
What struck me as annoying from a treehugging hippie point-of-view is that so much of their presentation focused on economics rather than on health or environmental benefits. Are we really only concerned with taxes and revenue?
Cruz-Aponte announced plans for the new Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center, which she described as both a “transfer station” and a “convenience center.” Because the landfill will be closing on December 31, 2008, we need to find another way to dispose of our trash. She explained that residents will still place trash in city-issued bins and pick-up will continue in the same way, so that part of the process will not be changing. After the trash leaves the premises, it will be brought to the transfer station, where it will be—wait for it—transferred. The Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center will also permit residents to drop off recyclables, electronics, and bulky waste like tires; however, they will not be collecting hazardous waste. There is a possibility that this center will also have a “swap center” where residents can leave items that are in good condition, and others can pick them up. Right now we have a swap center– it’s called the curb.
While they have designs for the Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center, the DPW still needs to go through the bidding and permit processes. They are aiming to have it completed and opened by June 1st. Cruz-Aponte is hoping to have it operating during regular hours–Monday-Friday 8-4 and on Saturday mornings–but she said that this detail has not been worked out yet. The Hartford Bulky Waste & Recycling Center will be for Hartford residents only; the proposed fee for 1-6 family buildings is $10 (“4 free annual dumps”) or $15 for 5-10 extra loads. City agencies would have free use of the center, whereas Hartford small businesses would pay a $50 fee for 2 annual dumps (and a higher rate after that).
We also learned that an unnamed community group will be meeting next year to discuss plans for the closed landfill. These “plans” were spoken of vaguely, and sound like some kind of recreational area. One person in the audience referred to Maya Lin’s art projects, I think in hopes that the city would allow something massive and artistic to be rendered from the soon-to-be closed landfill.
Cruz-Aponte made the understatement of the week by saying “we have a large problem with illegal dumping” in Hartford. Charmaine Craig from the Knox Parks Foundation was present to express her disgust with the ongoing and widespread illegal dumping. One need not look any further than the section of Capitol Avenue and Laurel Street (back where the train tracks are) to see a disturbing amount of tires, clothing, and other random debris. To combat this, the DPW has been utilizing surveillance cameras and engaging in discussions with neighboring towns; the problem is thought to be partially the result of people from neighboring towns dumping in Hartford due to their towns’ solid waste disposal policies.
There was some discussion on “leaf recycling.” One woman from the Thomaston/Granby Street area complained that the leaf collection in her neighborhood was not done well, and made a mess. She was reassured that the trucks would be back through for a second round. The remaining leaf collection schedule is posted as follows: If your trash pick-up day is Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, you should place your leaves out at the curb on November 30th. Those with Thursday trash collection will need to put their leaves out on December 7th. Residents with Friday trash pick-up should have leaves set out on November 23rd and December 7th. To clarify, the leaves should be raked to the curb and not into the street. Do not add other gifts to the leaf pile like rocks, branches, or grass clippings. Residents also have the option of dropping bagged or loose leaves off at 40 Jennings Road from Monday-Friday (7am-4pm) and on Saturday (8am-4pm).
Having an ax to grind, I asked about what can be done to fix the problem of leaves dumped in the bike lanes. For those who don’t get why this is a problem, let me explain. There are bike lanes on several busy streets. If you stay in the lane and keep an eye out for random inevitable debris, you can usually survive. The dynamics of bike travel changes when inconsiderate homeowners and/or their lawn care companies dump piles of leaves in the bike lane, which makes it necessary to either “slam” on brakes, swerve into the non-bike lane, or ride through. If you are a motorist, you probably already know how dangerous it is to brake on wet leaves. Try doing this without being surrounded by a steel frame. Suddenly darting into traffic is an obvious danger. Going through the pile is risky, as you can’t see if the leaves are covering anything more solid which, if you strike it, might send you flying off the bike. What I was told was that if leaves are dumped in the bike lane, I should call up Public Works to report it, and that they will talk to the homeowners. The answer I was hoping for was that the offenders would have to do hard labor for six months, but getting them to resolve the issue will suffice.
For updates, see the Department of Public Works website.