While I am very pleased that our town has made the switch away from landfilling our trash to sending it to the ecomaine waste-to-energy plant for the next 10 years, and I have been gratified by the response my column has received over the past two years, this will be the last one.

As those who know me are well aware, I am involved in a lot of things. I am also facing a new health situation within my family that is going to require ever more of my time in the coming months and years. Something has to give if I am going to maintain my own health successfully, and this is where it needs to happen. Rather than let myself get into a position where my research for the column is not being done well, I feel it’s best to end it on the recent successes in our recycling and solid waste management programs.

There is still much to be done in recycling and sustainability in Brunswick, and I plan to continue my involvement with the R&S Committee, at least until the end of my current term. I hope others will stay active in the same area as well.

One thing I can strongly recommend is the Recyclopedia. That’s an extensive database of information about recycling. It talks to what we can recycle, what we can’t, and how to tell the difference in much the same way as I have tried to do in my column. Go to the ecomaine website, and you can quickly navigate to the Recyclopedia page, then enter your question and see the results. It’s a wonderful resource we are fortunate to have available to us!

I would also like to see the weekly column continue in some form. If anyone would be willing to take it up, I will gladly share my sources and thoughts, and pass it all along. Please just send me an email if you might be interested, and we will talk.

I am also willing to continue to try to answer any specific questions you might wish to send to the email address.

Thanks to all for your support!

Harry Hopcroft

The Recycle Bin is a weekly column on what to recycle, what not to recycle, and why, in Brunswick. The public is encouraged to submit questions by email to brunsrecycleinfo@gmail.com. Harry Hopcroft is a member of the Brunswick Recycling and Sustainability Committee. This column is a product of his own research.