BIDDEFORD — Recyclers who visit the Biddeford Recycling Center/Transfer Station on Saturday are in for a nice surprise. Not only will they have a warm feeling of doing something good for the environment ”“ by reducing the amount of solid waste that enters the waste stream ”“ but they will also be rewarded for their efforts.

The Maine Forest Service has provided the city’s Solid Waste Management Commission with 200 Black Spruce seedlings. The commission will hand out these 12- to 15-inch seedlings to those who recycle on Saturday.

Each year, the Forest Service receives a donation of several thousand tree seedlings, which are distributed to communities around the state, said Dennis Brennan, the district forester for York County.

When the Solid Waste Management Commission contacted him, he said he was more than happy to provide the group with the seedlings.

According to Brennan, the mission of the Forest Service is to promote forests in the state and help private landowners manage forests on their land.

The seedlings that will be provided on Saturday are easy to plant, he said.

Each one has a  4 by 1 inch “plug.”

Residents only need to dig a shallow hole, place the plug of the seedling inside and then “kick some dirt over it,” said Brennan. “You hardly even get your hands dirty.”

The trees will grow about a foot a year. If they’re still standing in 100 years, they’ll be large enough to harvest, he said.

“We like to think outside the box,” said Solid Waste Management Commission member William “Bill” Robbins, on the group’s idea to hand out seedlings.

Public Works Director Guy Casavant said the city averages an annual 11 percent recycling rate. That’s the same recycling rate the city has maintained since he’s been keeping records, about 15 years ago.

Since several efforts, going back 10 years or more, to introduce curbside pick-up for recycling in the city have failed, the group is trying other low-cost ways to encourage more residents to recycle.

In addition to promoting recycling by offering seedlings this Saturday, some of the other methods to encourage recycling that the commission is trying include: Newspaper advertising; distributing 400 reusable shopping bags to students at the Biddeford Intermediate School; and placing signs around the city promoting the goal of raising $200,000 in revenue from the sale of recycling items.

Through the sale of cardboard, paper, plastics and other items collected at the recycling center, the city earns an average of between $120,000 and $130,000, which goes into the city’s General Fund, said Casavant.

As of April, for the current fiscal year ending June 30, the city has already taken in $128,000, he said. At this rate, the projected earnings by the end of June are between $150,000 and $160,000.

In addition to that income, increased recycling means the city reduces the amount of money it must pay to take waste to the Maine Energy Recovery Company incinerator in the downtown.

Between income from selling recyclables and avoided cost, said Casavant, the city about breaks even on the expense of running the recycling center, which costs about $200,000 per year.

Handing out the seedlings not only promotes recycling, said Robbins, but it also will have a long-term benefit on the environment as the seedlings grow to maturity.

Trees not only absorb harmful carbon dioxide, but also release oxygen into the air, he said.

It’s unclear how many new people will be attracted to the recycling center on Saturday with the promise of free seedlings, said Casavant, “But it’s a good reward for the people who do come here.”

The Biddeford Recycling Center/Transfer Station is located at 371 Hill St. It is open every day except Sunday. On Saturday it is open from 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

For more information, visit the city website at www.biddefordmaine.org or call the Public Works Department at 282-1579.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.