OTISFIELD — A representative from Portland nonprofit ecomaine gave a presentation to townspeople Wednesday evening on how the company works and how it will help the town in its switch to single-sort recycling.

Selectmen voted unanimously Nov. 1 to search for a new recycling service after receiving complaints from residents about Tice Waste Management, with which they had signed a contract in June.

Chairman Hal Ferguson said Nov. 8 that selectmen signed contracts with ecomaine to handle recyclables and Almighty Waste in Auburn to transport containers. Two single-sort containers have been placed at the Transfer Station on White Oak Hill Road to hold recyclables.

Lissa Bittermann, the business development manager of ecomaine, took residents on a virtual tour of the ecomaine recycling facility in Portland — via PowerPoint — and explained how the organization separates recyclables.

Bittermann said that ecomaine follows a waste hierarchy that focuses primarily on reducing, reusing and recycling.

“Every self-respecting second-grader knows about their three R’s,” Bittermann said. “Our thought is that people should reuse items as much as possible before recycling. You can’t imagine what kinds of perfectly good items that I see people dropping off at the transfer stations.”

She said landfills are ecomaine‘s last resort.

“The Environmental Protection Agency did a study recently where they looked into landfills, and they determined that 60 to 70 percent of the things ending up in a landfill could have been used for a better use before being thrown away,” Bittermann said.

One resident asked Bittermann how word of the transfer station will spread to people who don’t know about the switch to single-sort recycling.

Bittermann pointed out that when ecomaine signed the contract with Otisfield, the organization held a kickoff at which they gave out free recycling bins and information.

“It’s a new program that we’re launching, so right now, a lot of it is word of mouth,” Bittermann said.

She said that the town could “possibly include a do/don’t list for recycling with tax bills.”

Maureen Mooney-Howard, chairwoman of the Otisfield Conservation Committee, said ecomaine plans to visit Otisfield Elementary School and speak to pupils.

“We figured if the kids are recycling, their parents will recycle, too,” Mooney-Howard said.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

Lissa Bittermann, business development manager for Portland nonprofit ecomaine, talks to Otisfield residents Wednesday evening about single-sort recycling. (Matthew Daigle/Sun Journal)

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