Selectmen Set New Trash Fees Tonight

The Plymouth Selectmen will set the rates for the new curbside pickup program and single-stream recycling. The rates are expected to be much lower than the current rate of $186.

The Board of Selectmen will set the rates for the new curbside trash pickup program at its meeting tonight, and the rates will be more than $100 less than the current rates. There are several options for the proposed rates: "The current dump sticker is $186. Private haulers cost anywhere from $400 to $700," Selectman Belinda posted on an earlier Plymouth Patch article. "What the town is offering is considerably less expensive than what is being charged now." And with curbside you get single-stream recycling. That means every recyclable item goes into one container -- paper. plastic, bottles, cardboard all in one container. That makes recycling very easy. Plymouth currently recycles at a level of 18 to 20 percent. PAYT and single-stream …

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Casey Meserve

7:04 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013

Perhaps eventually they'll go to curbside recycling. Pembroke residents used to have to bring their recycling to the transfer station, but they changed that a couple of years ago.   more ›

How Can We Make Every Day Earth Day? (Sponsored)

Here are some family activities you can do to foster environmentalism. Sponsored by Sony.

  Very few events are celebrated around the globe, but Earth Day is. This year, it’s come and gone. But we’re here to ask: What can we do to show our love of the earth on that day, and every day? On May 31st, Sony will release After Earth, an action-packed movie that takes place 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity to leave. It’s the kind of scenario that makes you want to donate to Greenpeace, recycle everything, and start biking every where, immediately. So, in honor of Earth Day, Patch has teamed up with Sony to present these ideas for making every day Earth Day. How can we make every day Earth Day? Begin with little things. Easy things. Obvious things. Things we take for granted each day, and use and/or abuse because …

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Today in Plymouth

Five Things You Need to Know Today: April 12

Hazardous waste collection, a bike drive, and April vacation classes are what you ought to know today.

1. Dispose of your household hazadous waste Saturday, April 13, at the DPW at 169 Camelot Drive. The South Shore Recycling Cooperative is collecting household waste including oil-based paint, stains, solvents, gasoline, automotive fluids, pesticides, photography and pool chemicals, acids, bases, and poisons in secure, labeled containers. Go to ssrcoop.info for more information about what is and is not accepted. 2. The Plymouth Sunrise Rotary Club is hosting a Bike Drive at 131 Camelot Drive Saturday, April 13. Donate your used bicycle to someone who could use it.  3. YMCA Camp Clark is holding a babysitting class Monday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The class is for 11-15 year olds, and will follow the Red Cross curriculum. Cost of the…

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Town Meeting Approves Curbside Trash Pick-up

Town Meeting got through the Special Town Meeting Warrant Saturday, and will pick it up again tonight at 7 p.m.

Plymouth Town Meeting approved single-stream recycling and curbside trash pick-up, effectively closing two of the town's transfer stations and, supporters hope, saving the town, and residents, a lot of money while increasing recycling. You can see the DPW's full Power Point presentation by clicking here to download. The DPW’s solid waste budget got overwhelming support from town meeting. DPW Director Jonathan Beder said this means implementation of option three: "And that is to maintain service at one of the transfer stations, implement a single-stream curbside collection program, both of which will utilize a pay-as-you-throw program," according to WATD. Town meeting reconvenes tonight at Plymouth North High School. Read more about …

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20 Ways to Go Green in 2013

If your New Year's resolution is to live a greener lifestyle, check out these 20 tips to help you stick to your plan.

  If you want to be kinder to the planet and save some money at the same time, here are 20 ways to go green in 2013. TELL US: Do you think you could stick to a green New Year's resolution? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments sections below.

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Plymouth Receives $135k for Curbside Recycling Program

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has awarded Plymouth $135,000 to kick-start the town's planned curbside recycling program.

The Department of Environmental Protection awarded municipal recycling grants to the towns of Bourne and Plymouth to promote the responsible management of solid waste, Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, announced today. “Congratulations to Bourne and Plymouth,” Murray said. “Their efforts exemplify a statewide commitment to cleaner, greener communities.” Plymouth received $130,000 for wheeled recycling carts for curbside single-streamed recycling, and $5,000 for the purchase and distribution of residential educational materials about the curbside recycling program. Single-stream recycling is a commingling system by which different waste materials can be combined at the curb and separated after collection. Bourne received $30,000 …

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This Week on PACTV Community News

This week’s episode will feature local news stories, including a feature on the proposed curbside recycling program in Plymouth.

PACTV Community News is on every Thursday at 8 p.m. on Comcast channel 13 and Verizon channel 43.  This week’s episode will feature local news stories, including: PCN is a weekly newscast featuring local stories and events from the towns of Duxbury, Kingston, Pembroke and Plymouth.  PCN is looking for story ideas including events, interesting people, business ventures and town news.  If you have an idea for a story please email information to Kim Miot, PCN News Director at kim@pactv.org. PCN will also be shown on Friday at 1:00pm, Saturday at 10:30am and Monday at 3:00pm. The show is also available on PACTV’s Video on Demand on their website, www.pactv.org.

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Poll: Should the Bottle Bill be Updated?

More than half of Massachusetts legislators support updating the 30-year-old bottle bill, to add a five cent deposit on water and sports drink bottles in a changing beverage industry.

Walk down any public road and you'll most likely see empty water and sports drink bottles strewn across the sidewalk or in the grass along the roadside. That may change if supporters can get the state House of Representatives to vote on an updated version of the Bottle Bill. More than half of Massachusetts legislators, including one of Plymouth's state representatives, support updating the 30-year-old bottle bill, after heavy lobbying by the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. The updated bill would add new beverage containers to the list of containers on which retailers, and consumers, pay a five cent deposit. Supporters say that the deposit will encourage recycling of the nearly 80 percent of beverage containers that are not …

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DPW Recommends 'Small' Increases in Water/Sewer, Decrease in Recycling Fee

DPW Director Jonathan Beder will recommend increases in the water and sewer rates, and a sharp decrease in the annual recycling fee to encourage recycling.

Department of Public Works director Jonathan Beder will request a "small" increase in the water and sewer rates, transfer station passes and a 33 percent decrease in the annual recycling only fee. Beder will make the recommendations to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night, where he'll also provide an update on the proposed curbside trash pick-up project. In late March, the DPW received five bids from waste management companies and has been going through the price proposals with the procurement officer and a review team. According to the memo to the Board of Selectmen, the DPW will recommend no increase to the water base charge of $25, or the yearly private fire protection charge. Rather the increase will be a one percent increase in each …

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Plymouth Clean-up Day

Saturday was clean-up day across Plymouth.

Photos courtesy Brahim Dagher.

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