Pine Tree Waste brings back small scale system at council’s request

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The voice of the public has been heard. By popular demand, Pine Tree Waste Services, which contracts with Houlton and several other communities for solid waste disposal, has brought back its small scales for weighing individual bags of trash at its Alice Street facility.
    In addition, larger purple bags designed to hold more waste should soon be available for those who prefer to dispose of their trash in that manner.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
BACK IN USE — These small scales have been brought back into service at the Pine Tree Waste Facility.
    Back on May 1, the Houlton Town Council learned that Casella Waste Systems, the parent company to Pine Tree Waste Services in Houlton, had changed its operating procedure for those using the outdoor truck scales to weigh their garbage. Brian Hovey, market area manager for the northern Maine hauling divisions of Casella Waste Systems, told councilors at that time that the change was necessitated by a mandate from the Department of Agriculture following a customer complaint about inaccuracies with the scales.
    Under the old system, a vehicle could pull onto the scales to have its weight tabulated. The customer then proceeded to a dumping location and when their trash had been tossed, drove back over the scales for a second weighing. This system was used to determine the weight of garbage a person had disposed of.
    Hovey told councilors that the truck scales were intended to be used for heavier vehicles, and not for pinpointing weights less than 200 pounds. Anything under 200 pounds could fluctuate a few pounds over or under, resulting in inaccurate charges assessed to customers.
    Since May, customers who use the vehicle scales have been charged a flat fee of at least 200 pounds, or about $20, per visit. Those with trash in excess of 200 pounds have been weighed and charged accordingly.
    Dean Lawrence, site manager for Pine Tree Waste, said there have been a few disgruntled customers since the change, but for the most part things have gone smoothly. The decision to bring back the smaller scales was done to appease the Houlton Town Council, he added.
    “The council wanted them back, so we brought them back,” he said.
    However, the small scales can only be used Wednesdays from noon to 3 p.m. and can only be used to weigh trash in bags.
    “They can’t bring trash in barrels or loose or anything like that,” Lawrence said. “It has to be in a bag.”
    By using the smaller scales, which are located inside the recycling building, residents are able to bring their garbage to the transfer station in their own garbage bags instead of the “purple” bags that are sold on site. The purple bags reportedly hold 25 pounds and costs $2.65 for Houlton residents. Those from other towns who use the transfer station may be charged a different rate for the bags, depending on the contract agreement their town has with Pine Tree Waste.
    Lawrence added new bags will soon be available that are slightly larger so they fit better inside residential trashcans. The switch to a pay-per-bag system several years ago was done in hopes of increasing recycling efforts in the community.