Ellsworth to take reins at transfer station

ELLSWORTH – The city is preparing to take over operations at the local transfer station but residents dropping off their trash and recycling will notice no changes in how they dispose of their waste.

Officials say the change, which was approved by the City Council on Monday, will save at least $85,000 a year.

“That is a conservative number,” Deputy Treasurer and Tax Collector Tammy Mote said Wednesday.

A more concentrated effort to increase residential recycling could increase revenues, which would in turn increase the city’s savings, she said.

Until now, Pine Tree Waste Services has operated the transfer station at the Boggy Brook Industrial Center off Route 1A. The city extended its current contract with that vendor by three months through Sept. 30 in order to prepare for the takeover on Oct. 1.

Mote said the facility will be under the supervision of the Public Works Department and will employ two full-time workers.

“We will keep it running the exact same way, at least for a while,” she said.

In addition to the financial advantage, there could also be some improvements to the service down the line, such as an expansion of its operating hours, City Manager Stephen J. Gunty said this week. The station is now open four days a week.