CHINA: Information on transfer station articles

COMMUNITY
COMMENTARY

by Transfer Station Committee
Frank Soares, chairman; Mark Davis, Lynne O’Connor, Paul Lucas, Larry Sikora, Irene L. Belanger, China selectmen member, Cheryl York, Palermo representative, Dan L’Heureux, China Town Manager.

China Residents:

On March 25, 2017, the annual town meeting will be held. Two articles to be considered this year are the Town of China Solid Waste Flow Control Ordinance (Article #44) and the Town of China Solid Waste Disposal Ordinance, (Article #45). We would like to take a moment of your time to give you an overview of each ordinance.

The ordinances which control how we handle waste in China are essentially unchanged since the landfill at the China transfer station was closed in 1992. The Transfer Station Committee (TSC), which as established about a year ago, has worked diligently to bring these documents up to date. In many cases, the sections of the Maine Revised Statutes Annotated (MRSA) governing transfer stations has changed over time though our ordinances have never changed to become compliant. The ordinances’ purpose is to protect the public health of China by establishing rules and regulations for the proper handling and disposal of wastes generated in China. Fundamentally, the ordinances set up rules all of us currently follow when we use the China transfer station, for instance, establishing collection locations for cardboard, newspaper, and paint for recycling.

The Town of China Solid Waste Flow Control Ordinance outlines specifically how the China Transfer Station handles solid waste (from receiving waste to ultimate processing) and includes hours of operation, wastes that can and cannot be accepted, authority to enforce regulations, penalties that result from improper disposal, and location of the free for taking items, etc. The Town of China Solid Waste Disposal Ordinance is a general outline for Maine towns to follow that accept solid wastes within their borders.
The ordinances the Transfer Station Committee ask you to approve now are simply updates of the old documents. These updated documents do not place any additional burdens on users of the facilities, nor do they add costs to the town. If the respective ordinances are not updated, the town will be found out of compliance by the State and we could ultimately be penalized.

If you wish to review these documents, copies can be found on the town’s Web site (http://www.china.govoffice.com/). Copies are also available at the town office. We hope, after careful consideration, that you will approve these proposed ordinance revisions at the annual town business meeting, Saturday, March 25, 2017. Thank you for your time.

You are also encouraged to contact any member of the China Transfer Station Committee for a conversation on the proposed changes.