Madison, Maine, eliminates curbside recycling

The motion was decided 65-63 at the annual Town Meeting June 13, 2016. The budget plan, suggested by the Board of Selectman, was a result of budgetary difficulties created by the closure of Madison Paper Industries, the town’s largest tax payer.

“The issue is not ‘should residents recycle’ but rather ‘is it fiscally responsible for all of the taxpayers to fund curbside recycling,’” said Town Manager Tim Curtis in opening remarks, according to the article. 

Proponents of the defunding measure pointed out that less than 10 percent of Madison residents and business participate in the program, according to the report. Opponents argued that the program was part of their environmental responsibility.

One resident recycler is quoted in the article as saying at the meeting, “There are about 200 of us that do recycle. Why should we be punished? We should be recognized and given credit for being a good example of what the rest of the town should be doing.”