PORTSMOUTH — A “carry in, carry out” pilot program that began in August on Park Avenue was so successful that it’s been expanded to nearly all town properties.

The Town Council Monday night unanimously approved Public Works Director Brian Woodhead’s request to implement a “carry in, carry out” policy for all town properties except Sandy Point Beach during the beach season.

On Aug. 13, the council voted to direct DPW to remove six trash barrels along Park Avenue and install signs announcing that the beaches and sidewalks are under a strict “carry in, carry out” policy.

Three such signs were installed on Aug. 16. Each one reads, “Only You Can Keep Our Shoreline Clean — Please take all your trash home with you.” There are also similar messages in both Spanish and Portuguese, along with an anti-littering symbol and the Town of Portsmouth’s seal.

Although some residents have pushed back on the policy on social media, Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. said the reasoning behind the idea is simple.

Trash barrels are magnets for trash, he’s said previously. Many people see a barrel and dump anything they can find, even if it isn’t generated at their place of visit, he said. Mr. Rainer said the problem is getting worse due to the rising costs of trash disposal.

Mr. Woodhead said he talked to the DPW director in Middletown, who said that town’s “carry in, carry out policy” works well, although there is the occasional litterbug. He urged residents to notify his office whenever they spot trash at the sites.

“No matter what you do there will be litter,” said council member Len Katzman. 

It’s important, however, to educate citizens on why the policy is being implemented because that’s key to its success, Mr. Katzman said.

Breaking down the costs

In an Oct. 2 letter to the council, Mr. Woodhead broke down the cost of disposing trash taken from town properties.

The town has 27, 55-gallon steel trash receptacles at 16 different locations, he said. If one assumes a full barrel holds a third of a yard of trash and the DPW empties the barrels twice a week, it works out to 18 yards of trash per week, or 936 yards per year, he said.

“The weight of trash varies, so I used a number of 87.5 pounds per yard,” Mr. Woodhead said. “That works out to 1,575 pounds per week, or 81,900 pounds per year, or 41 tons per year.”

That means the cost of disposal works, including hauling and tipping charges, is about $2,900 annually, he said.

Mr. Woodhead also shared the amount of time DPW spends on trash removal.

“We have 2 men Monday and Fridays for 5 months or 20 weeks at 8 hours per day from Memorial Day to Columbus Day (summer), which works out to 640 man hours,” he stated in his letter. “The amount of man hours for the winter timeframe is less. We have 2 men Monday and Fridays for 7 months or 32 weeks at 5 hours per day from Columbus Day to Memorial Day (winter), which works out to 320 man hours. The total amount of man hours for trash removal per year is 960 man hours.”