By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Getting rid of bulky waste is another service to be hit by inflation.

Additional fees will be charged to dispose of certain items at the Casco-Naples Bulky Waste Facility, effective January 2023, according to Casco Town Manager Anthony Ward.

“What they did is they added some fees that go on top of either the weight or the coupons,” Ward said.

This fee is in addition to using coupons mailed to residents, or paying by the pound to get rid of items, he said.   

“This will be for all users of the bulky waste [facility],” Ward said. 

Below is a list of the fee schedule: 

• Computers and laptops, $5 fee 

• Recliners, $10 fee  

• Televisions and monitors, $15 fee

• Couches, mattresses, box springs, $20 fee

• Items containing Freon, $25

“The reason for this comes down to — we are seeing a drastic increase in the number of these things being brought in and the cost associated with what bulky waste has to spend to get rid of it,” Ward said.

Ward announced the pending fee schedule change during the regular Casco Board of Selectmen meeting on Nov. 1. 

The Casco-Naples Bulky Waste and Transfer Station(CNBW&TS) Council met in October and voted to support the new fees to offset costs, he said.  

In the Town of Naples, the same news was shared with that town’s selectmen a week earlier, during the Oct. 24 meeting.

“Over the past couple of years, the bulky waste facility has experienced significant hikes in transportation and disposal fees. In one year, this increase was about $65,000,” Naples Town Manager John Hawley said. “There is no sign that these costs are going to subside,” he said. 

“The Transfer Station Council has been discussing the best way to deal with the increases while minimally impacting the taxpayers. They proposed surcharge fees, which is what many local municipal facilities are doing. In doing so, this puts the cost strictly on the individuals using the facility for specific items that are the costly ones to dispose of,” Hawley said.

Apparently, landowners who are allowed to use the bulky waste facility have commented that other municipalities either charge a fee or do not accept items such as computers, TVs and mattresses.

“We are also aware that those who have access to the shared-town facility but live out of state primarily have admitted to bringing these bulky items to our facility because they would have to pay a fee in their hometown, or there is not facility to dispose of such items. They bring them here not only because they can but also because they can use their coupons to pay for them,” he said.   

“The new surcharge is on top of the weight charge, and cannot be paid for with coupons,” Hawley said.

Again, that change won’t occur for a few months. The facility is closed on Sunday, Jan 1, 2023, but when it reopens after the holiday the new surcharge will be in effect. 

In related business, another change may be on the horizon: The days of the week that the facility is open. 

Currently the CNBW&TS is open Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.  

The CNBW&TS Council “will discuss modifying the days of operation,” Ward said.

That is because the staff does not have two consecutive days off, he said. The employees understand that Saturday and Sunday are ideals days of the week for the general public to use the facility, he said. The council is considering possibly Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Friday as day of the week the facility will be open. 

The council is scheduled to hold a workshop on Nov. 17, starting at 9 a.m., at the Naples Town Hall.