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Monmouth officials weigh charging for vapes and solar lights and a new recycling vendor as transfer station hours shift
Summary
Town staff reported new transfer-station hours and warned that certain consumer items (vapes and small solar panels/lights) become hazardous waste once accepted, potentially requiring the town to refuse them or charge to dispose; staff will return with options and will meet a recycling vendor for a pilot program.
Monmouth public‑works staff told the select board the transfer station will move to new hours (midweek openings and a modified weekend schedule) and that the operation is rethinking how to handle items that are legal for consumers to discard but become hazardous waste once taken into municipal custody.
Staff gave examples: consumer vapes, when collected as municipal waste, may need to be boxed and shipped for specialized disposal (a vendor price was cited informally at about $400 per box); small solar yard lights and composite ‘solar panels’ include batteries and may be priced by weight for hazardous disposal (staff estimated roughly $4 per pound as an initial figure). The town manager and public‑works staff said they will research options and return at the next meeting with recommendations: refuse the items, charge users for disposal, or find a vendor arrangement.
Separately, staff said they have a July meeting scheduled with a recycling service that can supply large bins and regular pickups. The vendor discussed a bottle‑redemption split that could provide a modest per‑bottle income to the town if placed and serviced locally. Staff will return with details, including whether a new recycling arrangement could qualify the town for packaging‑related funding.
The board requested clearer accounting for recycling hauling and diversion rates so residents can assess program performance; staff said they will supply haul invoices and diversion statistics when available.
Next steps: staff will research disposal vendors and prices for vapes and small solar panels, deliver specific cost options, and report back at the next meeting.
