By Pattie Pacella, Neighb News Correspondent
At their meeting on 9/11, the Acushnet Selectboard heard from representatives from Eversource to discuss their joint project with National Grid in Fall River on new transmission lines that will be constructed between the two Towns in a twelve mile line.
Although the project will not start construction until 2020, they want to include the Town of Acushnet in all their Public Hearings and Communications, they told the baord..
Representatives said they will be holding their first Public Hearing with the Town on September 26, from 5-7, at the Senior Center, and invitations will be sent out to abutters as well as officials.
They encouraged residents to attend and ask questions. A hotline is also available, 800-793-2202.
In another matter, the board also discussed changes in recycling, as have other towns and cities in the region. The board met with Kathy Silva, the Business Manager of the Department of Public Works, who explained that Acushnet has always received a grade “C,” which is a low grade for recycling.
She did say, however, in the last month, it has moved up to a “B”, but she would like to see it as an “A”.
Ms. Silva stated that a flyer has gone out to residents and she hopes that has helped with their grading a bit, but said she felt that more education needs to be done with the Town’s residents.
Ms. Silva explained that 85% of the problem is that residents are throwing grocery bags into their recycle bin, and they need to be thrown out in their regular garbage. Ms. Silva went through a few items that did not belong in the recycle bin.
“No pizza boxes, no Chinese food containers,” she said.
She asked residents to read through the DPW Website for the “Recyclepedia” of information that is allowable to recycle.
Selectboard member Roger Cabral contended that he recycles really well.
“We wash everything, we put the recycles into a garbage bag, and the garbage bag into the recycle bin.”
Ms. Silva was quick to point out to Mr. Cabral that is not recycling well and is what a lot of people are doing.
“The contents of the bag needs to be dumped into the bin, not the bag in the recycle bin,” said Ms. Silva.
The Board members chuckled a bit as Mr. Cabral revised his statement and sai that was the way his wife recycled.
The Selectboard agreed that education is really what is needed. Board member Kevin Gaspar stated that they need to do a better job in educating the public.
“You can’t say ‘screw’ recycle,” Mr. Gaspar said, referring to people saying they just will not recycle and put everything in the trash. “We just need to do a better job to educate ourselves.”
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