Cape Elizabeth residents are pretty happy with the way refuse disposal is handled in the Town.

According to a survey recently completed by the Refuse Materials Planning Committee, 70 percent of residents responding would like to stay with current methods of disposing trash in Cape Elizabeth.

Committee Chairman Chuck Wilson said his committee won't be discussing the survey results until it meets this week, but his first impression is, "it sort of tells us the townspeople like the status quo."

The results may therefore prove a challenge for the Town Council, which formed the committee in part to explore ways of curbing the rising cost of refuse disposal.

In the next year, the per-ton cost of disposing waste at the Regional Waste Systems facility in Portland is expected to increase approximately 20 percent. Town officials had budgeted for a 10.5 percent increase, from $402,950 to $445,100 for 2003-2004, but later had to increase that line by $46,800 upon learning of even greater tipping fee projections.

For the owner of an average home valued at $279,000, the budgeted $491,900 for waste disposal next year translates to approximately $133 of the tax bill.

In other communities, Wilson said, pay-per-bag systems have been instituted to encourage recycling and consequently to reduce the cost of waste disposal. The Cape survey asked residents what they thought about pay-per-bag and about curbside pickup, about their recycling habits and about the transfer station in general.

"There doesn't seem to be a lot of support for curbside pickup or pay per bag," said Wilson. The results are perplexing however to officials who are seeking ways to reduce costs.

For example, Wilson said, the Town of Gorham increased recycling from 13 percent to 40 percent after instituting a pay-per-bag system. Right now Cape Elizabeth recycling rate is about 20 percent, and while statistics show that is a top rate for a voluntary system, it has remained stagnant over the last few years and is not likely to increase.

The survey indicates that most residents, 64 percent of those who responded, feel they are recycling as much as they can. Also, 75 percent of those responding said they would favor higher fees to cover the cost of large items, brush and construction debris.

Wilson was somewhat surprised by respondents' satisfaction with traffic patterns at the transfer station. "We really expected more people to register to that," he said. Only 24 percent of all respondents, however, said there should be better management of traffic flow.

The survey was distributed in the Cape Courier, which is mailed to 4,000 homes in Cape Elizabeth. Residents returned 792 responses.

Survey Results
	Total Received
	795
Question	Tallies	Percent
1	208	26%				Households should be assessed based on how much waste they generate
	556	70%				Stay with current methods
2	494	62%				We already recycle as much as we can.
	82	10%				We could recycle more but it would be difficult to do so.
	182	23%				We could recycle more than we do and are prepared to do so.
	12	2%				Our household does not currently expend much effort in recycling, but would consider it if there were financial incentives to do so.
	9	1%				We choose not to recycle.
3	165	74%		Yes		Our household would prefer to stay with current options, (dropping off waste at the transfer station or hiring a private hauler), even if this approach involved increased costs via higher fees or taxes
	591	21%		No
4	241	30%		Yes		Our household would prefer a “pay per bag” (or “pay per throw” at the Transfer Station) system of trash disposal as a method of reducing overall trash, increasing recycling, while distributing the costs on a more equitable basis to those who create more trash.
	478	60%		No
5	70	9%		Yes		Our household would prefer that Cape Elizabeth provide curbside pickup of trash and recycled materials, understanding that the costs of such a system would have to be covered by a “pay per bag” fee or a tax increase
	701	88%		No
6	598	75%		Yes		As current fees cover less than half the costs of disposing of large items, brush, and construction debris, should increased fees be instituted to more closely cover the costs of their disposal?
	150	19%		No
7	414	52%		Yes		More information on what can be recycled
	268	34%		No
	299	38%		Yes		More information on how to recycle (sorting and storing recyclables, etc.)
	351	44%		No
	190	24%		Yes		Better management of traffic flow
	441	55%		No
	244	31%		Yes		Provide an alternative to backing in at the trash hopper
	413	52%		No
	260	33%		Yes		Better signs for what to recycle and where at the Recycling Center
	374	47%		No