What’s your favorite false rumor? One of mine is that it’s cheaper to throw everything “down the hopper” as trash instead of recycling.

The Transfer Station is a great place for rumors to spread, and it seems that everyone is an expert on how to fix the roads or run the Transfer Station. But without all the facts, it’s easy to get things wrong.

In an effort to help residents get the facts, the Select Board has decided to post the current rates the Town pays for Single-Stream Recycling (SSR) and for waste disposal each month at the trash hopper. The poster will also include the tonnage for each, so you will be able to see for yourself which makes more sense: recycle or throw down the hopper.

This month, the rate we pay for disposal of SSR materials decreased from $41 per ton to $38.50 per ton. We get this information from our vendor, Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA). The pricing is based on an Average Commodity Revenue Index that reflects the processing costs and the combined value of the processed materials.

Glass, which is separated and trucked to New London for processing, currently costs $30 per ton for disposal.

For all other household trash that is thrown down the hopper, we pay $65.97 per ton for the tipping fee at the Penacook incinerator.

For the month of October, the Town sent out 15.52 tons of SSR at a total cost of $671.80. Trucking costs were $195.

We also sent out 90.57 tons of solid waste to Penacook at a total cost of $5,974.91. Trucking costs were $1,500.

As we have learned, the fees for recycling glass, paper, metals, and other materials change all the time. We look forward to keeping you better informed about the costs of dealing with your trash. Be sure to check out the poster at the hopper for the latest information.