Newry selectmen said Tuesday they were open to discussion of the possible implementation of single-stream recycling at Sunday River Ski Resort, utilizing the offer of a free compactor.

The subject arose after Chairman Jim Largess said that Woodstock Town Manager Vern Maxfield floated the idea to him in a recent conversation.

Single-stream recycling involves collecting all recyclables initially in one container, and sorting them later at a special recycling facility.

Newry and Woodstock, like several other towns in the area, are members of Oxford County Solid Waste and Recycling Corp., based in South Paris. OCSWR handles recycling for the towns. Largess and Maxfield are members of a “Work Group,” a subgroup that is studying long-term options for OCSWR.

Tri-Town offer

Last month Newry selectmen learned that Pine Tree Waste, which hauls trash for the Tri-Town Transfer Station, had offered a compactor for free to the station.

Newry shares the station with Bethel and Hanover.

The station would need to provide a concrete pad on which to place the compactor, electricity to operate it, and maintenance, according to town officials.

The Newry selectmen said then they supported the idea.

The Tri-Town Solid Waste Committee, which oversees the station, has not at this point formally considered or voted on the compactor offer, according to Newry Town Administrator Loretta Powers.

Largess said if Tri-Town is not interested, Newry could request the compactor be placed at Sunday River, to be used as part of a single stream recycling process.

“It might reduce the waste stream,” said Largess, which would benefit all concerned.

The theory behind single-stream, he said, is that more people will recycle if the process is easier. Although a town or organization does not make as much money on the recyclables, he said, the decline is offset by the increase in volume.

Largess asked selectmen Wendy Hanscom and Gary Wight if they would support raising the subject Monday at a Work Group meeting.

“If you’re just asking if we want to get information, sure,” said Hanscom.

Wight wondered what might happen to the compactor after ski season was over each year.

Largess speculated that the operation might simply be a seasonal arrangement, or that recyclers from other parts of Newry, or even other towns, might utilize it if they wished.

He said there would be many logistical details to work out, but he didn’t want to get ahead of the process before the question was even posed to Pine Tree and OCSWR.

“In my mind, it’s worth it to go ask the question,” he said.