Single Stream Costs Trickle down from Winter High

This just in: cost of Single Stream (SS) recycling has dropped from a winter high of $74. per ton to $38. per ton for October.

The Select Board has been holding steady on staying with SS, knowing that the market is very volatile and there is little sense in investing in changes to our recycling system based on month-to-month changes in the market for our commodities.

We continue to send only one truck per week with solid waste to the incinerator in Penacook, which is still at $68. per ton. Before we started SS, we were sending two truckloads per week.

We are also continuing to keep glass on the side, as we can send our glass out separately for $30. per ton.

I would also like to thank Ken Tripp for keeping the Swap Shop going all of these years. Ken and his helpers open up the “shop” at 8 AM on the second Saturday of every month, May through October.

Around 2 PM, they start sorting all the leftovers into piles to be saved for the next swap event, or to be recycled, thrown out, or sent on to other re-use venues. It’s a lot of work, and we are grateful to all the volunteers who make it happen.