Ecomaine wins back waste processing contract in Westbrook
Ecomaine, the municipally owned recycling and waste-to-energy business that serves over 65 Maine communities, has added the city of Westbrook to that number.
The City Council on Monday approved a 10-year contract with ecomaine, which had previously served Westbrook until Pine Tree Waste won the business in the 1990s.
Ecomaine spokesman Matt Grondin told Mainebiz the contract is worth about $500,000 annually, depending on the tonnage processed. Ecomaine will handle roughly 7,000 tons of residential recycling materials and solid waste at its single-sort facility in Portland, according to a news release.
“We’re extraordinarily glad to welcome back Westbrook to ecomaine’s portfolio of members after many years,” said ecomaine CEO Kevin Roche.
“Westbrook is a natural fit for our programs, given how close together we are, and especially with the city’s demonstrated vision for a hands-on and collaborative approach to providing recycling education to its residents.”
Most of ecomaine's member communities are in Cumberland County, like Westbrook.
For the first year of the contract — until June 2021 — recyclables and trash will continue be collected separately, as they currently are. When they are brought to ecomaine, however, the materials will be combined as trash and converted to energy, due to very high levels of contamination in Westbrook’s recycling stream.
During this time, the city will work with ecomaine to educate Westbrook residents about what is and isn’t recyclable, according to the release.
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