City To Test Recycling Bins at Common

Recycling bins will be placed at Melrose Common this summer in a pilot program that, if successful, the Melrose Department of Public Works (DPW) plans to expand to other city parks in short order, DPW Superintendent Bob Beshara told the Board of Aldermen last Thursday.

In addition to placing recycling bins at the Common, Beshara said that in conjunction with the Planning Department, the DPW is considering placing BigBelly solar-powered trash compactors that the city is receiving for being designated a green community by the state in the downtown area. He added that placing the BigBelly compactors, which also come with recycling containers, in the downtown area has not been discussed yet with Mayor Rob Dolan or the Melrose Chamber of Commerce. Melrose currently has two BigBelly compactors — one at Melrose Common and another at Lewis-Monk Field.

"I think they'd get good use out of them (downtown)," Beshara said. "And if there's a good response for bottles and cans (at the parks), we'll continue to get more for the parks."

The park recycling bins are made of metal wire grids that Beshara likened to chicken wire, allowing DPW workers to see inside and hopefully minimize the amount of unwanted, non-recyclable material tossed into the bins.

Alderman at-Large Paul Brodeur asked if the recycling bins would drain any rainwater, to which Beshara replied that they would.

"Good — otherwise, things will get funky after a week or so," Brodeur said.

Brodeur had filed an order requesting that the city's recycling coordinator, Mary Beth Calnan, and the DPW purchase 60-gallon recycling barrels for placement in the city's most heavily used parks, unaware that the DPW had already undertaken the aforementioned pilot program.

He filed that order because of trash accumulation at the Lincoln School, he said, some of it coming from crushed aluminum cans found at the school from skateboarders kick scooter riders doing tricks that involve crushing the cans upon landing.

"The Lincoln School is attractive for that (activity), with a big driveway, a nice slope and lots of curbing," Brodeur said. "We really need something (for recycling bins) in high traffic places."

Beshara said that the DPW could also place a recycling bin at the Lincoln School as part of the pilot program, because it's a fairly active area and people will notice the new bin.

"If the pilot program is working, we'll know in a couple of weeks," he said. "It's not something that's going to take a year to implement. It's something Mary Beth Calnan has wanted to do for a couple of years. Recycling has come a long way (in Melrose) in the past couple of years. We're going to push for as much initiative as we can to collect (recyclables at parks)."