Beginning Sept. 9, residents of Allenstown will be able to drop off their recyclables at a dumpster located at Highway Garage in the front lot of the Allenstown Transfer Station, located at 161 Granite St., in addition to bringing recyclables to the station during regular hours.

Since the end of mandatory curbside recycling last month due to rising collection costs, residents who still want to recycle can deposit their recyclable materials at the transfer station. However, the limited hours of the station – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-10 a.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. – mean that some people find themselves unable to recycle due to other commitments at those times, especially work.

Highway Department foreman Ryan Pelissier explained that the dumpster out front will be accessible for residents to drop off recycling whenever they have time. The dumpster will be lit and under camera surveillance 24/7.

“We’re going to try it,” Pelissier said. “We’ve done it before and people have put things in there that aren’t supposed to be. We’ll try it and will get rid of it if necessary.”

He warned that disposing of non-recyclable materials in the recycling dumpster will put the endeavor at risk for all residents.

“Recycling is paper, plastic, aluminum cans, and cardboard,” he said. “It’s not trash, not food waste.”

Pelissier also explained that styrofoam, despite being marked with the recycling symbol, cannot be recycled. However, he’s mainly concerned about people using the dumpster to dispose of trash and unwanted items such as tires or electronics.

“We can’t accommodate everybody but this might help a lot of people,” he said of the dumpster’s accessibility. “We’ll put signs up, it’ll be under surveillance. Hopefully people can just be smart.”

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com.