By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Trash talk heated up on Willett Road Saturday, and then spilled over to social media.

After hearing continuing complaints from citizens that many use the Bridgton Transfer Station without having paid for a dump sticker, a crackdown was in full force.

Station workers checked each vehicle entering the facility, resulting in a line of waiting patrons outside the gate. If a vehicle lacked a sticker, TS workers asked for $10 to cover the new dump sticker, which went into effect July 1 — the start of the municipality’s new fiscal year.

Response was mix.

Some felt it was “about time” all users paid up.

Others voiced their frustration regarding the loss of Sunday access to the Transfer Station, while others were upset that they already paid $5 earlier this year for a sticker, but were then told
Saturday those were no longer valid and a new one needed to be purchased.

One person parked their vehicle near the Transfer Station exit gate, grabbed their trash, walked up the driveway to the waste disposal bin, tossed their trash into the container and walked out of the facility, according to Town Manager Robert Peabody.

The manager clarified a few points for The News regarding Transfer Station operation.

First, the $10 sticker is good for one year — an action taken by the Select Board.

“When the board voted to change all stickers, we were going to follow our fiscal year,” he said. Peabody said in April when people came to the town office to register their vehicles, they were given a free dump sticker to carry them over until the new sticker went into effect in July.

“Now, I understand that some people had purchased it earlier and some people may have gotten charged after that, but, you know in pure math I think it’s $2 and 50 cents.”

Peabody said the town planned to stop each vehicle entering the facility to check whether users had stickers, and if they didn’t, new stickers would be sold and issued.

“We were stopping every car going in. We’ve had nothing but complaints about people using the Transfer Station and not paying their $10,” Peabody said. “It’s amazing how many people were using our Transfer Station who did not have valid stickers.

Regarding the change in operating schedule and the loss of Sunday, Peabody did read some complaints on social media, but he noted some writers also were in favor of the decision.

“You plan differently. Not every town has their dump open as much as we do, and some of those are tourist towns,” Peabody pointed out. “It’s a matter of adjusting.

Back to stickers, Peabody noted they can be purchased at the town office and Transfer Station. He also pointed out that, “once you pay the $10, you get one for every one of your cars. So, it’s not like we charge per vehicle — it’s per household.”

In the case of rental properties, some owners provide dumpsters for visitors to dump their waste before leaving, while others will allow visitors to use their sticker.

“The income from selling stickers offsets what we need to raise in taxes,” Peabody added. “Change is hard. We’re trying to do things efficiently and certainly having all the stickers due on one date — instead of the date you register your car — is certainly, I think, easier on everybody. Right. We’ve had a sign up there forever that says, ‘no sticker, no dumping.’”

Ultimately, people land in one of two categories. Some people chose to ignore the sign, and play the “I didn’t know card.” Others follow the actions of officials either by checking the town website, reading the local newspaper or watching board meetings on the local cable access station.

“You get people who complain about their taxes, but they don’t go to town meeting and vote. Part of our job as citizens are to know what’s going on in our community. That’s a responsibility of being a good citizen,” Peabody added.