Trash & Recycling- Dumping in the same truck?

Regarding Trash & Recycling pickup:
In the last year, I've gotten a number of complaints about drivers dumping both trash and recycling in the same truck--at the same time.
When I went on the recycling audit, I brought this up to the WM Public Sector Solutions Rep... and discovered WM is able to look up the truck used on the route with date, location and time. I'm told the administrators take this issue seriously.
SO---if you happen to SEE trash and recycling being dumped in the SAME truck at the SAME time... let me know address and time and I would be happy to forward this to WM and confirm if it was a split body truck---or if this was an infraction of the driver.

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Parking Ban & Snow Storm Update from Unitil

Due to the forecast for plowable snow, a snow emergency/winter parking ban in the City of Fitchburg will be in effect from 9 PM on Thursday, November 15, until 9 AM on Friday, November 16, 2018. The duration of the parking ban will be adjusted if weather and road conditions make it appropriate to do so.

There is no parking on all City Streets during the Winter Parking Ban. This includes metered parking spaces on streets. Vehicles that are parked in violation of the parking ban are subject to ticketing and/or removal at the owner’s expense. Property owners are reminded that they are responsible for keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice adjacent to their property per the City Code.

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Unitil is currently preparing in advance of a winter storm expected to impact the region tonight and into tomorrow. According to the most recent forecast, as much as 5-10 inches of snow is possible throughout the region, with at least portions of the snow expected to be wet and heavy in consistency. Wet, heavy snow can stick to trees and limbs, causing damage.

At this time, Unitil has proactively secured additional crews to assist with outages should they occur. Crews will be standing by, and we will be closely monitoring the storm as it passes through overnight and will be prepared to escalate our response, including the opening of our emergency operations centers, if conditions warrant doing so.

As a reminder, during storm events the most up to date information about the number of customers affected by outages including town-by-town customer information can be found on our website at http://www.unitil.com/map. We also encourage you to follow our storm updates via our Twitter feed (@Unitil).Snow Storm Update from Unitil

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Oak Hill Road Bridge Closed Friday, Nov 16, 7AM to 4 PM

Oak Hill Road Bridge Closed Friday, Nov 16, 7AM to 4 PM

Repairs to the Oak Hill Road Bridge will begin Friday, Nov 16. The bridge will be closed from 7 AM to 4 PM on Friday. Additional closings are expected over the next few weeks. Details will be announced here when they become available.

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Building Opportunities for People in Transition

Construction underway for transitional housing facility in Fitchburg to help people in transition of North Central Massachusetts.

Building Opportunities for People in Transition

Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts' 3-year funding commitment will help GAAMHA, Inc. creative supportive sober housing for up to 40 people. "I can't overstate the importance of organizations like Community Foundation," says Shawn Hayden, COO of Gardner Athol Area Mental Health Association. "We have a lot of ideas about how we can help people, but without Community Foundation's generosity we could never bring them to fruition."

Established in 1967, an essential part of GAAMHA's mission is to help people recover from drug and alcohol addiction. A key resource in the process that is sorely lacking in North Central Massachusetts is transitional, supportive sober housing.

"People need a place where they can get up every day, and go to work or go to school, knowing that they are in a place free of drugs and alcohol; where there is a Case Manager available to them 24/7," says Hayden.

Thanks to a $227,000 commitment over the next three years from Community Foundation's Endowed Fund for Critical Needs, GAAMHA will be able to begin construction on a sober living facility in Fitchburg, in fall of 2018. The end result will be the creation of 10 apartments designed to house four individuals each, as well as a retail facility that will provide employment opportunities for the building's residents.

GAAMHA hopes to have the facility operational by 2019, and self-funded by 2021. "For people in recovery, long-term connectivity to care has proven to have a very positive impact on outcomes. Thanks to Community Foundation's generosity we'll be able to do more positively impact the lives of individuals, and our community," said Hayden.

http://www.cfncm.org/LearniAboutCFNCMi/News/ViewArticle/tabid/96/ArticleId/90/Building-Opportunities-for-People-in-Transition.aspx?fbclid=IwAR019KQjp0dNzbySGKcLNa7h-49rrk51Z43gonhKLieiVmr1KukmN2fXlrU

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New hires, protocols for Fitchburg trash pickup

Waste Management officials told city councilors that recent staffing changes and newly implemented protocols will improve curbside pickup service.

"We're working to get better. Again, to be frank, I kind of took on a large mess when I took over in this waste management facility, but again I think we're making headway," Waste Management's Manager of Collections Operations Matt Hill told councilors Thursday.

...the company has "turned over" its staff of drivers on the Fitchburg route. Employees were forced to resign, he said, and Waste Management is in the process of hiring replacements.

A new fleet of trucks is expected to hit city streets, and this winter they will have snow tires to ensure the vehicles don't get stuck in hilly neighborhoods, said Hill.

The volume of yard waste collected this fall is 25 percent greater than last year, according to Hill. He said yard waste pickups have been delayed recently because the collection truck reaches capacity before finishing its route.

Health Director Stephen Curry encouraged residents to report missed pickups using the ReCollect app or the website SeeClickFix, which forwards the complaint to Waste Management.

Ed Pacek, with Waste Management Public Sector Solutions Division, updated councilors on progress made to cut down on rates of contaminated recycling in the city.

He said a "recycling crisis" was precipitated by China's decision to effectively stop accepting recyclables from oversees, boosting the cost of recycling disposal domestically.

An initial audit of 11 truckloads of recyclables tossed by Fitchburg residents found 44 percent of the waste was contaminants, said Pacek. An acceptable rate of contamination is between 5 to 10 percent, he said.

Plastic bags and plastic shrink wrap are the most common contaminate found in the city's recycling, said Pacek. The bags jam equipment used to sort recycling, and should instead be thrown in the trash or dropped off at a supermarket that collects them.
"On our end that's probably the single most important point," he said.

Other items that are not recyclable are hoses, electrical cords, pill bottles, cartons with aseptic lining and "organic matter."

Waste Management won't collect visibly contaminated recycling. Curry said residents risk a ticket it they overfill their recycling bins to the point where the lid will not shut, a violation of city ordinance.

"Barrels that have the potential, in the dumping process, to spill all over the ground, (barrels) that are so overflowing, are rejected," he said.

http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_32270765/new-hires-protocols-fitchburg-trash-pickup?fbclid=IwAR1H7SCqePF66g5Lji-R4jmBf3n6RcSZpQli5m7coUEQDSLcOVMPS7-_1zY#ixzz5WpiEIbLy

FunStuf Rentals and FunStuf Party Place Moving to Fitchburg!

Opening the end of January 2019!! NΜΆoΜΆvΜΆeΜΆmΜΆbΜΆeΜΆrΜΆ ... the new Fitchburg FunStuf Rentals and FunStuf Party Place!!!
791 Water Street, Fitchburg MA.
So excited for the new Fitchburg FunStuf AND party place (Bouncys for the kids!!)

FunStuf Rentals is your inflatable rental headquarters for central and eastern Massachusetts. Delivering inflatables and fun since 1998. From moonwalks to waterslides, obstacle courses to bungee runs, we have it all. Use the menu on the left for information on any of our inflatables and attractions, bounces and moonwalks, waterslides, obstacle courses, dunk tanks, bungee runs, tug-of-war sports, pedestal jousts and food equipment - including pictures, pricing, size and electrical requirements, and capacity.
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http://www.funstufrentals.com/

Potholes --- Damage to Vehicles

Potholes --- Damage to Vehicles--- and your rights to submit a claim to the city for reimbursement for repairs.
Have you hit a pothole in Fitchburg that has obviously caused damage to your vehicle?
You may submit a claim for property damage to the city through the Mayor's Office.
Claim form: http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/DocumentCen…/…/Claims-Form-PDF
Please note: You will need to provide the proof of cost or estimate for vehicle repair a description of the issue and explanation of why you feel the city is liable.
It is suggested to photograph the damage at the area of impact--- for example a photo of a flat tire on the road where the pothole impact occurred. Photograph the pothole and pothole with context as to location in road.
Additionally, the city is generally deemed 'not liable' if the pothole was not reported to the city at all, or if city did not fix the pothole within a 'reasonable timeframe'.
The burden of proof relies on the resident.
Therefore.....Reporting potholes in a timely fashion helps the city and the residents.
Potholes can be searched for reports, and reported through the seeclickfix app here:
https://en.seeclickfix.com/fitchburg_2

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Week 2 of Nutrishop Fitchburg Challenges! 

Week 2 of Nutrishop Fitchburg Challenges! 
I'm not doing so great compared to the other challenge participants as you can see by my percentiles...πŸ˜‚ 
This store is pretty fabulous though... knowledgable, friendly and helpful staff...and all kinds of fancy supplements from vitamins to protein powders to weight loss supplements to essential oils...I took a few pics of their offerings here.

Recycling IQ Audit & Mass DEP Recycling Rules Updates

I joined in with the Waste Management team for one of the last Audits of our Recycling IQ program in Fitchburg this morning! Since the resale market for many recyclables have dropped to near zero--- Recyclers have been forced to up standards and levels of contamination in our recycling. Fitchburg was charged $175K last year due in part to the high levels of contamination in our recycling.
I am waiting on the results of our audit... but the numbers look like we are IMPROVING! They 'measure' the amount of contamination by percentage trash vs recycling in LBS (Pounds baby...pounds)... so the percentage started at 79% trash to recycle in April....and we are down to about 45% trash to recycle in November! I also took a bunch of videos...so I'll post that in a bit... and I also have some info on PIZZA BOXES I am awaiting the final word on.... 
at TONIGHT's city council meeting the reps from WM will be there to TRASH-TALK and answer questions.... so if you have any questions you'd like me to ask...let me know here and I'll try to answer or get them answered =)


New Recycling news for PIZZA BOXES


As noted in Thursdays Council meeting per presentation by Waste Management--- we have a new Universal Recycling list as approved by Mass DEP.
A few notes of recycling:
Yes---Clean Pizza Boxes (grease ok but no food residue)
Yes- Plastic bottles, jars, tubs and lids, Clear plastic egg cartons
No---Plastic Bags of any kind
No--Plastic Film, bubble wrap etc.
No--Prescription Bottles, nips,take out cartons
**See list for more

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Fitchburg Public Schools Upcoming Schedule 2018/19

Fitchburg Public Schools Upcoming Schedule:
πŸ‘‰11/12 No School
πŸ‘‰11/14 and 11/21 Early Release
πŸ‘‰11/22 and 11/23 No School
πŸ‘‰12/12 and 12/21 Early Release
πŸ‘‰12/24-1/1 No School
❄️1/16 Early Release
❄️1/21 No School
❀️2/6 Early Release
❀️2/18-2/22 No School
🌼3/6 Early Release

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