Residents could soon be paying less to dispose of mattresses and box springs at the town transfer station.
Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Jeffrey Neece told the Board of Selectmen this week that the town could be saving almost half of the cost for disposing such items.
“We have been spending $30 per mattress or box spring, plus it costs $5.49 per mattress for labor to ship them, and it is .93 cents per mattress or box spring for fuel,” said Neece. ‘That’s a total of $36.42 per mattress.”
Neece said he has discussed disposal with Reliable Delivery Services LLC of Glastonbury, Conn. and said it’s a much better deal.
“They will pick up a mattress or box spring for $16 each,” said Neece. “No shipping or fuel cost.”
Neece said there is a minimum of 25 pieces for pick-up and said that there are about 30-35 mattresses and box springs at the station now.
Selectman Arthur Pinell asked how many mattresses and box springs the transfer station collects annually.
“We estimate about 90, and if you round that up to 100 to make the math easy, we will be spending $1,600,” said Neece. “We will be saving about half.”
The board unanimously approved going ahead with Reliable Delivery Services.
Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart asked the board if the vote was also a vote to reduce the fees to residents.
“That will come once we know this will work out,” said Selectman Russell Fox
Neece told the board he is in discussions with a company that recycles electronics but there is no finalized agreement yet. Fox told Neece he knows of a company that could take electronics for little to no money and would put him in touch with them.
Neece also updated the board on the fall storm cleanup and said there is still about 1,000 yards of materials at the transfer station. Neece said the FEMA contracted company that hauled most of the debris away cannot take any more of the material, which is already ground and chipped.
“Great Brook Lumber has offered to remove it for free,” Neece said.
Neece said he would get a document from Great Brook Lumber stating that it hauled away the materials and added that the town should expect a monetary return from the original company that was contracted to haul the material away
