By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — An elected, local official hopes to put some money where the trash is.

Essentially, he wants to make certain that existing funds are put towards repairing the area where vehicles drive through the transfer site that is shared by the towns of Casco and Naples.

Casco Selectman Grant Plummer not only gave a shout out to the staff at the local transfer station but also volunteered to sit on the council that oversees the facility.

On Tuesday, Plummer agreed to serve on one of the seats on the Casco-Naples Bulky Waste and Transfer Station Council.

He mentioned that the council has not met for a while and that there needs to be some action.

“John Kimball is manager there (at the Bulky Waste facility) and he is trying to get the facilities upgraded but he doesn’t have the council supporting him,” he said.

For one thing, there is money to fix potholes where vehicles drive, where residents can get rid of household trash and recycling.

After the last rain, “there were two gigantic mud puddles in the upper parking lot,” he said.

“I took a photo and sent it to the former town manager and said that if he wanted to go fishing he could meet me at the transfer station,” Plummer said.

While Dave Morton, an avid fisherman, was still town manager, Plummer brought up the potholes at the facility, asking if the paving budget could cover that repair. He learned there was money set aside already.

“The transfer station has the money to fix that, pave or fill or whatever and we haven’t done anything yet. We need to do something,” he said.

“I think it is really time to help the staff and us as taxpayers, and have a facility that is working properly,” he said.

“A big thank you for that group down there. It’s a group that doesn’t get many thank you’s. They make sure it is a good clean recycling process,” Plummer said.

“Hopefully we can support them and move forward” with upgrading the facility, he said.

“The staff is doing a fantastic job for our communities,” he said.

“Some people see it was a complete nuisance that they have to be overseen when they are recycling. But that oversight and the cleanliness of our facility is saving us money,” he said.

He explained that recycling is returned if nonrecyclable items are mixed in. That costs the town, he said.

“Many communities are so bad, that they have gotten out of the recycling process. Communities are going out of the recycling business,” Plummer said.