WESTBROOK, Maine — It's about to be a busy time for Casella Waste Systems in southern Maine. The facility said it usually collects and sorts 250-300 tons of trash a day and added that number jumps an extra 50 tons a day during the holidays.
"A little extra pressure is coming on in the next ten days, and we just hope people are patient with us as we get through the routes," market area manager David Allen said.
Allen said it's important for people to remember what they can and can't recycle. He said wrapping papers and bows go in the trash. They can't be recycled.
"Even though wrapping paper has paper in its name, most of it has lots of other stuff in it," Allen said. "Bows and ribbons, imagine them going through a rototiller in your garden. That's kind of what our sorting machines look like. Those ribbons get wrapped up in the equipment and can really slow everything down.
He also urged people to break down cardboard boxes and clean out containers like peanut butter and jelly jars to help out his employees.