Letter: You don’t own a truck? You’re out of luck!

Posted 8/26/18

To the editor:

I am a Portsmouth resident and have a valid transfer station sticker on one of my automobiles. I have been filling up a 32-gallon can once per day as required for free daily …

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Letter: You don’t own a truck? You’re out of luck!

Posted

To the editor:

I am a Portsmouth resident and have a valid transfer station sticker on one of my automobiles. I have been filling up a 32-gallon can once per day as required for free daily disposal of construction and demolition (C&D) debris. I wanted to avoid a trip every day to the station with my 32-gallon can of C&D, so I wanted to pay the $75 C&D fee and take a “truckload” to the station. I stopped by the Town Hall on Aug. 15 and spoke with four people and got the same interpretation of the town’s C&D policy for the transfer station, which made absolutely no sense to me.

The policy says any load larger than 32 gallon may be disposed of in the C&D for a fee of $75, once per day. This fee is available to “residents with a valid transfer station sticker and is for residential C&D only.” From my point of view, I thought I qualified under this rule. The problem is, I don’t own a pickup truck and according to the four people at Town Hall I spoke to, “with a valid transfer station sticker” means (it does not say this!) the sticker must be on the vehicle used to bring the C&D to the station. 

I asked why I couldn’t borrow or rent a truck, and as a Portsmouth resident with personal project C&D and a sticker owner, pay the $75 dollars and get a pass to dispose of the C&D at the station? What difference does it make what vehicle I use to bring the C&D to the station? I understand the need for the sticker on a vehicle when you just go straight to the station. If I (or anyone) goes to the Town Hall and pays the $75 and gets a C&D pass, it tells the station people I am allowed to dispose of my C&D in the vehicle I’m in because it has been verified by Town Hall personnel that I have paid the C&D fee and sticker fee to use the station.

I spoke with the recycling coordinator, Mr. Antaya, the following week and he said the reason the sticker must be on the vehicle is because there is concern people would give the C&D pass to someone else who hasn’t paid for a sticker. Oh, really? This can easily be prevented by requiring identification at the station to match the name on the C&D pass. What about someone who has a sticker and is bringing C&D from a business or someone else’s C&D who doesn’t have a sticker? How do they know all the people who show up with stickers every day are not bringing someone else’s (non-sticker people) trash? If people want to be dishonest, they’ll find a way. I was being totally honest in what I intended to do. 

With their interpretation of the policy, it appears the Town of Portsmouth expects people who have a large amount of C&D to dispose of and have paid for use of the station, must pay the $75, and also purchase a vehicle (not rent/ borrow), preferably a pickup truck and get a sticker for it, to dispose of their C&D.

This make no sense and even more so discriminates against people who prefer to drive automobiles rather than large SUVs, vans, trucks, etc. My guess is there are a lot of Portsmouth residents who only own standard automobiles or prefer not to load up their expensive SUVs with junk.

Joseph J. Barek, Jr.

155 Watson Drive

Portsmouth

letter, opinion

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.