I have found the Hatch Hill landfill to be a wonderful facility. The staff is always professional, courteous and helpful. However, I had a recent interaction that I’m troubled by.

I dropped off some trash and recycling on a recent Friday morning and discovered that I had forgotten my wallet. The charge was $4 and I asked if I could pay the next time and was told that I needed to come back “right away” to pay it. I asked if I could come back on Monday and was told I needed to come back within an hour. My wife was giving blood and needed our vehicle, so I said I couldn’t come back until later in the day (2 p.m.). This was accepted with the caveat that if I didn’t come back the police would be called.

So as I was on my way home this brewed in my mind to the point of deciding that I would come back “within the hour” at the expense of perhaps not getting our vehicle back to my wife on time. I paid the $4 and admitted that although it was my fault for having forgotten my wallet I thought it was sad that the police would be called for a (lousy) $4, given all this country has gone through recently.

The staff person totally understood and stated that even though it was a city operation the federal government was involved to some extent and this was the reason for the immediacy of payment. Yet who is it that calls the police? Surely the police have much bigger fish to fry.

Please bring us back to the honor system, front porches, and working together for the good of the community.

 

Mark Kmen

Hallowell