A series of meetings to inform the public about the town's single-stream recycling proposal has been announced, with the first taking place early next week.
The single-stream recycling program would eliminate the need for residents to separate their recyclables. Citizens could simply use one container for all their paper, cans and plastics, said Town Administrator William Keegan.
Europeans, Keegan reported in a July presentation, recycle about 80 percent of their waste. The town administrator added that Dedham only recycles about 16 percent of trash, half the state's recycling average.
The ad-hoc Recycling Committee is holding the informational meetings, which will be broken down by precinct.
The first meeting, for residents of precincts 1 and 2, will be held on Sept. 16 at Town Hall. The session for residents who live in precincts 3, 4 and 6 will take place on Oct. 21 at the Middle School. The final meeting, for those who live in precincts 5 and 7, will be held on Nov. 18 at the Early Childhood Education Center.
All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.
The program would require the Board of Selectmen's approval, said Keegan. The board, he said, did not want to make a final decision until the public was fully educated about the proposal.
Currently, the town spends about $2 million annually, with costs rising, to dispose of trash, Keegan said.
He said he hopes to stabilize or even lower that cost through recycling.
The town has saved about $200,000 in switching disposal service contracts from Waste Management to Russell Disposal this summer.
Dedham can save an additional $200,000 if residents can double their recycling rates, Keegan reported in July. By doing that, the town would reduce the trash stream by 2,800 tons a year.
Many believe residents would recycle considerably more if they didn't have to sort their items. Keegan also said citizens should be educated on all that can be recycled - thereby getting people to throw away less.
The town is also looking into automated trash collecting which, with the aid of a trash-collecting robotic arm, would require only one person to operate a single garbage truck.
Dedham is one of the few towns in the state not to charge a trash-collecting fee, Keegan said, and he doesn't expect that to change.
Selectmen, may, however, consider charging for picking up "white goods" and bulky items, he said.
White goods are household appliances such as refrigerators and stoves. Couches, chairs, tables and basically any item that does not fit into a trash barrel would be classified as bulky.
The pickup charges could be implemented as early as next month.
