To the Editor:

In last week’s letter to the editor, I had mentioned that the EPA suggests that 60 percent of the waste stream can be recycled.

I had originally said 80 percent, corrected it, and the correction got printed in time. However, two other related numbers did not get corrected. If 60 percent can be recycled according to the EPA, and the town is at 27 percent now, then an additional 30 percent, roughly, can be recycled, not the 50 percent as appeared in my letter, and the additional savings to the town if we hit the EPA estimates would be roughly $90,000, not the $150,000 printed.

Nonetheless, $90,000 is no small reduction in the tax requirements if all people were to earnestly participate in recycling. Fortunately, many people are participating, and as I mentioned last week, the Goffstown Solid Waste Commission wants to “catch people doing it right” with respect to recycling.

Our first good citizen who is recycling well is Sarah Luczko of 6 Albert St. I talked with Sarah and obtained permission to put her name in the paper.

Sarah thinks that recycling is a personal choice. She is choosing to do so because of the environment. She sees buildings being designed with recycled materials and she applauds that effort. She thinks people may not see recycling as convenient, though she can’t think of how the town could make it any more convenient than it has with the Single Stream Recycling program.

She has a section of her countertop in the kitchen where she leaves her mail, her juice and soda containers and almost all other materials. She also has a small container near the door for additional material, and has kept the old 14-gallon open tote for use just outside the door for recyclable materials that may have a little water in them still (after being rinsed), and, of course, she has the 65-gallon “Big Blue” container.

Actually, she owns a two family, so she has two 65-gallon green trash and two blue recycle totes. She alone fills the two 65-gallon recycle totes each week. Once a day or so, she brings the recyclables from her countertop, the inside container and the 14-gallon open top tote in the garage near the door, to the 65-gallon “Big Blue” containers. She rinses the liners used for her son’s baby bottles and recycles those.

She says she has a tenant who just moved into the other half of the two family, and her tenant is now recycling as well!

Ninety-five-gallon recycle containers are available from the DPW for those people like Sarah who are doing a great job recycling.

Thank you, Sarah Luczko, and may you be a positive example for your fellow citizens!

Fred Plett, Chairman
Goffstown Solid Waste Commission

To the Editor:

If the board of selectmen/DPW want people to abide by an ordinance then they themselves should set an example. For three years, the Board of Selectmen voted to let DPW begin work before 7 a.m., which violates the noise ordinance. Seems like they still think they are above the law. We need to vote out the old selectmen again this March.

On “Big Blue” it states “do not block sidewalk.” The drivers violate this part of the ordinance every week, forcing all residents including school kids to walk in the street. Blocking the sidewalks also violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. One driver puts the barrels back where they were picked up. Another follows and knocks them over, blocking the sidewalk. Why?

I’ve seen a barrel punched with the mechanical arm to send it flying. They have driven on the Spring Street sidewalk. Two trucks have blocked Spring St., both heading in the same direction, side-by-side on a dead end. Pictures/video were filed with police. These are also ordinance violations.

I want to thank the crew who had to patch the Spring Street sidewalk after those incidents. I saw one driver on March 24 hanging out of the truck-lifting lids. We need a safer way to check before he falls out and the truck keeps going.

Want to increase recycling in Goffstown? The fastest way is to address the worse offenders. First offense, send an informational postcard with Web site links.

Second offense, send a warning letter and the DVD. Third offense, suspend their curbside pickup service for one month. Bringing trash/recycling to the transfer station will be enough incentive to get them with the program.

Putting out barrels only when full saves tax dollars by saving wear and tear on the trucks with less stops as well as time.

What if the town rebates the savings realized from recycling. It could show as a credit on our tax bill. That’s incentive.

The town has to sell this program. Why not:

• Make an announcement before each board or committee meeting.

• Come up with a slogan how “Recycling Saves” and make it visible.

• Put the slogan on trash/recycling trucks, town trucks, town cars, etc. It’s low-cost moving advertising.

• Put the recycling slogan and a Web site link to the DVD and the ordinance online on every tax bill, water bill, sewer bill, notice they send out or even print/stamp it on the outside of the envelope.

• Hand out flyers when anyone does business at town hall or at the transfer station.

• Use correspondence that is already going out to carry the message at a significantly low cost.

• Ask all town employees for ideas. They would know best how this would work.

• Ask residents for ideas , send out a survey.

• Send all new residents a package welcoming them to Goffstown containing information on town services.

• Ask for volunteers to help check barrels for non-recyclers?

There are people who do not want to recycle, give them an option out.

Rather than charge residents who are recycling for “Pay-As- You-Go” the town should let the people who do not want to recycle pay a fee of say $100 to $200 per year based on number of people in household. A trash barrel with a different color lid would exempt them from inspection. This would reduce pick ups.

These are my ideas. Getting a slogan works. When I got involved with the recycling ordinance, every letter I wrote to the board of selectmen and to DPW I referred to the recycling barrels in blue capital letters in quotations as “Big Blue” as often as I possibly could. The town now refers to the blue barrels as “Big Blue” all the time. Proof that constant exposure works.

Wayne Perreault
Goffstown

To the Editor:

Per the recent letter by Mr. Fred Platte, chairman of the Goffstown Solid Waste Commission, I see that the percentage of Goffstown residents who actively recycle is only about 27 percent. How sad that is. I wonder what the remaining 73 percent do with their recyclable material.

If they are not saving it somewhere, it seems likely that they must be throwing it in the garbage can. This means that they are actually putting it in a can. Why not put it in “Big Blue” and take it to the curb along with the garbage.

Surely that can’t be such an onerous chore. I’m 68 years old, live on a (small) hill, and take both cans down at the same time. If I can do it, you can too. Shame, shame.

I also see that some sort of survey is taking place to get a sense of who is and who is not recycling. A good idea. This has me worried a bit, though, because I’m afraid that my address might be added to the “does not recycle” list on the week when I don’t take “Big Blue” to the curb.

Truth is, I only put it out when it is full, which is about every two weeks. Wish I could do that with the garbage. With just my wife and I, that great big garbage can customarily has only one small bag in it each week. It goes out every week, just the same.

One thing that you will not find in my “Big Blue” is aluminum cans. I save these and take them to the fire station on Church Street on a semi-sometime schedule.

Our fire station needs all the help it can get, and saving aluminum cans is a small effort for the supposed return. Those aluminum cans, though, don’t have the tabs on them. I remove the tabs and save them for the Shriners, who turn them in and use that money to help the children.

Everyone has heard of the Shriners and their Crippled Children’s hospitals and burn centers. Small effort for big return!

I would be happy to gather up tabs from others who wish to save them for me. My phone number is in the book.

Joe W. Rush
Goffstown

To the Editor:

In response to Mr. Girard’s response to the Toomeys’ letter concerning the short Memorial Day parade.

The issue was brought to my attention by a few folks from your area, so I did a bit of checking (always two sides to a story/issue).

The Toomeys were not unaffected by the flooding. The Toomeys also are so thankful for the work, effort and caring of the Goffstown DPW and their community pride.

The Toomeys have a son-in-law serving in the Marine Corps and have a full understanding of the meaning of Memorial Day and what it should mean to all, especially veterans.

The flood was a tragedy and felt by the Toomey family but they put Memorial Day first and unselfishly led with their hearts on behalf of those who have given to Goffstown and this country, yesterday, today and will give tomorrow. The Toomeys have an understanding of what veterans and their families give on a daily basis and considers everyday Memorial Day.

“Shame on the Toomeys”? No sir, Shame on you for putting yourself and your problems before those who “Gave, are Giving and Will Give.” You’re a veteran?

You know better, or should. What have you done for those who have served, are serving and will serve? I found out what the Toomeys have done ... they lost in the flooding and put Memorial Day and what it represents first ... not the day but the meaning. “Let Us Not Forget” are more than just words and the veteran community should well understand. Memorial Day was not about you or the New Hampshire flooding.

Bob Jones
Meredith
Northeast POW/MIA
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