ROCHESTER — The town will begin a new recycling inspection program in May to save money by avoiding costly contaminated loads of recycling. 

Marcia Kessler, the town’s grant writer, appeared before Selectmen virtually on April 30 to explain how the town’s Recycling IQ program will work. 

In short, it is a recycling inspection program where workers from Fairhaven will check 250 recycling bins a week, scanning just the top and the first few inches that are visible for the biggest contaminants: electrical cords, wires and plastic bags. 

In processing, “these ‘tanglers’ literally bring the machine to a halt. Until someone climbs up and pulls it out,” Kessler said. 

The checkers do not have a zero tolerance policy, and will allow three tanglers per bin before they hang a tag on the bin explaining why it was rejected and turn it sideway so that ABC Waste does not pick it up. 

Kessler said she is thankful the policy is a little more lenient, as one of her adult children is home and unknowingly put a number of plastic bottles in the recycling in a plastic bag. 

Still, if a load of recycling is contaminated with bags or cords, it has to be loaded into the truck again and driven to a landfill in Connecticut or New York.

“That’s a long ride” one selectman said. And, its costs get passed to the town.  

The town will send out two mailers before the program starts, and will run photos of the bin-checkers in the newspaper. Bin-checkers will wear masks and gloves, but germs should not be a concern if residents wash their hands, as they normally do after taking out the trash and recycling. 

Checkers will begin to walk routes May 15 and 22. 

Though Kessler said the program “benefits both the environment and the pocketbook,” she also speculates the changes mean she will be the “most hated person in Rochester is my basic theory.” 

On a related recycling note, the town resumed its curbside textile recycling on Monday April 27.