Price of "Punch" to Rise at Weathersfield Transfer Station

Weathersfield Transfer Station

Price of “Punch” to rise

from $2.50 to $3.50

On October 19^th, the Weathersfield Select Board voted to raise the price of a “punch” at the Weathersfield Transfer Station from $2.50 to $3.50 effective October 26, 2015. Punch cards already in circulation will be honored at the old price of $2.50/punch.

The new price for a five-punch card will be $17.50 and a ten-punch card will be $35.00.

This is a relatively large increase and warrants an explanation. There are three main reasons for the increase.

• It was determined a few years ago that the balance in our Solid Waste Fund exceeded our needs. For the last few years, the price of punch cards has been held artificially low by drawing down the surplus in this fund. A surplus is no longer available to subsidize the price of punches.

• A new state law (Act 148) went into effect on July 1, 2015. That law mandates recycling and prohibits charging for disposal of recyclables. The immediate impact of the new law is that our recycling volume is up 17% and waste volume down 13%. This translates into an increased expense for the Town to dispose of the recyclables we have collected, supported by fewer punches to generate the revenue to pay expenses.

• The sale of recyclables has historically offset some of the operating costs for the Transfer Station. Currently, due to a world-wide glut in recyclables, most recyclables actually cost the Town money for disposal. The one remaining source of income, scrap steel, has seen a reduction in market price paid to the Town from $200 per ton a year ago to about $80 per ton in September.

As the changes in world recycling markets continue and as Act 148 becomes fully implemented, it’s likely that we will experience other changes. Please be assured that the Select Board is doing all it can to provide trash disposal and recycling services to residents in the most responsible and cost-effective way possible.