Talking trash

Drew Steinbeiser's article about blue bags and garbage disposal in Portland generated a lot of feedback. Now it looks like Cape Elizabethians will be grappling with the same issues. The CE Town Council will take public comment tonight on a paid-bag system like the one Portland has, according to the Forecaster. The article publishes some interesting statistics:

Town Manager Mike McGovern sent a memo to the council on July 26 comparing recycling and solid waste data from ecomaine. Since fiscal year 2007, Cape Elizabeth has had the largest percentage increase in recycling and the largest percentage decrease in solid waste among 11 ecomaine communities, he said. On a per capita basis, the town recycles 34 percent more than the mean of the 11 communities, but still produces 43 percent more solid waste than the mean.

Pay-per-bag advocates often point out that communities that implement such systems see increases in recycling and decreases in waste. With CE already doing relatively well in the first category, it would be interesting to watch those numbers if the town does adopt the proposal.