Pine Tree Waste, which holds a contract for Woolwich's solid waste and recycling services, has recently implemented single stream recycling at no additional cost to the town.

Single steam technology allows all recyclables to be deposited into one bin, instead of being separated according to whether it is glass, paper, etc. This means that residents will now be able to recycle more types of materials, including colored glass and plastics stamped with the recycling logo. The only exception is plastic bags, which can get caught in the machinery used to sort recyclable goods.

The recyclables will continue to be picked up at the town office and taken to Auburn, where they will be sorted by an automated system and processed for recycling.

The Woolwich Solid Waste and Recycling Committee members have been studying different models of rubbish collection practices, including "pay as you throw." The plan they would like to recommend to the voters is 100 free 30-gallon bags per household per year; additional bags would cost the taxpayers $1.50 each.

According to the committee, this approach would give those responsible for producing the most garbage more of the burden for disposing of it.

According to the town's report to the state planning office, the average household in Woolwich disposes of slightly less than the equivalent of 100 30-gallon bags of garbage per year. Single steam recycling will make it much easier for residents to stay under the 100 bags per year limit.

The committee is interested in having input from Woolwich residents and will be holding public forums on the website, and will be announcing public hearings to discuss the pay-as-you-throw system.

The committee has a new Solid Waste and Recycling Web site, www.woolwichrecycles.org to provide more information on their recommendations, and recycling.