China transfer station committee presented with draft mission statement

by Mary Grow

At the July 8 China Transfer Station Committee meeting, Palermo representative Bob Kurek shared a mission statement for Palermo’s new Solid Waste Committee – one he had Artificial Intelligence (AI) write.

The unedited result is very comprehensive, incorporating public education and outreach, waste reduction and recycling, waste-to-energy plans, pay-per-bag (PPB) or pay-per-throw (PPT) trash disposal, planning for future growth and funding.

Kurek suggested China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood use AI to write a list of advantages and disadvantages of China’s adopting PPT. Committee members have repeatedly mentioned the idea.

Committee chairman J. Christopher Baumann praised the Palermo document, and recommended prioritizing. Its present content is broad enough to fit the State of Maine or the United States, he said.

(The Town of Palermo website says the Palermo Solid Waste Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 23, at the town office. The meeting is open to all interested residents.)

In other business July 8, Hapgood said she is considering preparing minor amendments to China’s transfer station ordinance. Her goal would be to make it easier to deal with the very few “ornery” users who consistently ignore rules and give staff a hard time.

China’s current Solid Waste Ordinance (on the town website, chinamaine.org) authorizes municipal officials to suspend or revoke an individual’s entry permit, after notice and, when requested, a hearing, for violating the ordinance. A separate section says violators are subject to arrest and, if found guilty, punishment for a Class E crime.

Station Manager Thomas Maraggio said two improvements are planned for 2025: replacement of one waste can, as recommended in the station’s five-year plan; and installation of a pad under the wood pile, required by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Funding is in the transfer station budget, Hapgood said.

Hapgood and others admired the “creative” decorations at the station. Maraggio said new staff member Paul Bunker is doing a good job.

Committee members voted to skip an August meeting. Their next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Chris Diesch, Palermo’s other representative on the China committee, said she intends to resign by September, expecting a Palermo Solid Waste Committee member to take her seat. Other members thanked her for her service.