Recycling News
The Transfer Station experienced a much needed facelift with significant changes including a one way traffic pattern, a change in operating hours, and “one stop dropping” which consolidated the deposit of both recyclables and trash.
The new sorting tables allow for the removal of inappropriate items prior to polluting a box of recyclables, reducing its value. Now that we are compacting most recyclables, the load weights have significantly increased, resulting in a savings in transportation costs.
Separating steel and aluminum cans from plastics continue to generate positive revenue.
In the first year of renovation (2009), Amherst has recycled:
| Plastics | #8 News | Cardboard | Alum Cans | Mixed Paper | Mixed Glass | Steel Cans | Opaque Plastic |
60.61 tons | 181.56 tons | 154.29 tons | 13.06 tons | 168.64 tons | 264.96 tons | 13.92 tons | 6.99 tons |
In 2021 Amherst had recycled;
Plastics #8 News Cardboard Alum Cans Mixed Paper Mixed Glass Steel Cans Opaque Plastic
12.28 ton 49.68 tons 197.58 tons 12.05 tons 85.52 tons 140.55 tons 12.99 tons 5.09 tons
In 2017 Amherst had recycled;
Plastics #8 News Cardboard Alum Cans Mixed Paper Mixed Glass Steel Cans Opaque Plastic
60.34 tons 122.13 tons 200.45 tons 12.36 tons 124.18 tons 229.30 tons 12.43 tons 10.45 tons
Transfer Station permits/stickers are required and may be picked up at either the Department of Public Works or the Transfer Station Scale House
Should a holiday fall on a day of operation, the facility will be CLOSED. Please plan accordingly.
Video Display Device and TV e-Waste
On July 1, 2007 the State of New Hampshire passed House Bill 1455 banning disposal of video display devices with trash bound for New Hampshire landfills or incinerators. Video display devices include televisions, computer display terminals, liquid crystal displays, and plasma screens larger than 4 inches in diagonal.
The chemicals in video display devices are extremely harmful to the environment. Video display devices are considered a hazardous waste once they are no longer usable or replaceable and must either be donated (if working) or sent to a hazardous waste disposal facility.
If you place anything meeting the definition above in with your trash, at the very least, our disposal facility in Penacook will require an Amherst employee drive there and retrieve it, or in a worst case scenario, the whole trailer load will be rejected. In either case, it is your tax dollars being wasted to rectify the problem. Most communities charge varying fees for everything electronic. Amherst charges a $5 fee for the video display devices. The e-waste is periodically picked up by a licensed e-waste recycling company that charges Amherst $0.10 per pound. The $5 charge only partially offsets the charge to the town.
Please do not dispose of your video display devices in any manner other than by taking them to the Scale House. It is a serious environmental and financial burden to the town, along with a legal issue, if you don’t comply with this law.
While the law specifically addresses just video display devices, you should dispose of all unusable electronics in the e-waste storage box. Everything except the video display devices are accepted free.