LIVERMORE — The town’s new trash compactor is up and running.

Both residents and transfer station operators are adjusting to the new method of household trash disposal, Supervisor Juanita Jordan-Bryant said Thursday.

“It’s an adjustment for everybody,” she said. Once everybody gets used to it, she said, she believes things will be OK.

The compactor, which cost the town $28,000, was installed last week. Before that, residents threw their trash into a Dumpster and it was hauled away.

The compactor is expected to cut down on hauling costs and save the town money.

Once it is broken in, it will handle between nine and 12 tons, said Jim O’Regan, a representative of Atlantic Recycling Equipment LLC.

A Dumpster handled between four and five tons, town Administrative Assistant Kurt Schaub said.

Schaub and O’Regan visited the transfer station Thursday to go over any questions and concerns about compactor operation.

Residents throw their clear bags of trash into an opening in the compactor. Once that space is full, either Jordan-Bryant or attendant Randy Tirrell shut the doors and turn the compactor on and a hydraulic ram compacts the trash to make space for more. The process takes just under three minutes.

A fire destroyed the former transfer station building that had housed the office and solid-waste Dumpster last year.

Town officials opted to build a small, separate office building and put in a compactor in place of using funds from the town’s insurance settlement.

Jordan-Bryant is scheduled to attend training on handling household trash that can potentially contain used hypodermic needles. As one precaution, stick-resistant gloves were bought. However, there are no guarantees on whether the gloves will prevent a mishap, Schaub said.

They are also asking residents to safely dispose of needles, syringes and lancets by placing them in hard plastic containers, preferably No. 2 grade with a twist-on cap, Jordan-Bryant said. The container should be labeled “do not recycle.” Once it is full, the container should be capped and reinforced with duct tape over the top of it before it is put into household trash.

dperry@sunjournal.com

Roland Timberlake of Livermore places an artificial Christmas tree in Livermore’s new trash compactor Thursday.

A poster explaining the proper way to dispose of needles is posted to Livermore’s new trash compactor. Needles, syringes and lancets should be disposed of in a hard plastic container with a twist-cap and the cap duct taped before it is put in a trash bag and the compactor.

Jim O’Regan, a representative of Atlantic Recycling Equipment LLC, left, talks with Livermore Administrative Assistant Kurt Schaub in front of the town’s new transfer station office. Behind them, station attendant Randy Tirrell puts trash in the town’s new compactor.

Shanel Lavoie of Livermore prepares to put a trash bag into Livermore’s new compactor Thursday.

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