Town staff are working to transition the recycling coordinator position from part-time to full-time to help Falmouth develop municipal solid waste management plans, according to Town Manager Michael Renshaw’s report to the select board. The move comes after several years of Department of Public Works staff and volunteers asking that the current recycling coordinator Mary Ryther be given more time to work on all things solid waste and recycling disposal and diversion. “We’re very pleased,” chairman of the solid waste advisory committee Alan Robinson said on Tuesday. The committee has been one of the groups asking the town to expand Ms. Ryther’s work schedule.
“We very much appreciate the efforts that the administration went through to creatively find a way to make this position full-time. It was a team effort.” Mr. Renshaw presented a final draft of the town’s operating budget, containing general yearlong expenses such as staff salaries and solid waste contracts, during the select board’s meeting. He added that while Department of Public Works Director Peter M. McConarty once again did not have a request for a full-time recycling coordinator built into the budget, staff had found another way to pay for it.
Town staff hope to have a positive vote for this transition at the April Town Meeting. If voters approve the full-time position, the change will be effective immediately. “We’ve been working on this for a few years,” Mr. McConarty said on Tuesday. “Obviously Mary is very effective at her job and is a very valued employee. With the amount of work that she does, we wanted to bring her to a full-time position.”