E-cycle schedule change sought

The Village of Belgium will likely join the town in holding the electronics recycling day every other year after next year.

The Public Works Committee on Sept. 21 unanimously recommended  the change. The Village Board is slated to act on the recommendation at its Oct. 11 meeting.

The event has been held on a Saturday each May the last several years at the Town of Belgium’s transfer site. The Town Board in July unanimously approved holding it every other year instead, and the village’s Public Works Committee agreed to do the same.

“You would think by now it would be getting smaller,” Committee Chairman Pete Anzia, who is also the village president, said.

But Public Works Director Dan Birenbaum said he sees TV boxes every week in the village’s recycle bins.

“People are buying TVs left and right,” he said.

The event is open to town and village of Belgium residents, but officials know people beyond those borders are taking advantage of a free chance to get rid of their stuff.

“I think we’ve cleaned up pretty many towns’ and townships’ TVs,” Supr. Tom Bichler said in July.

At last year’s event, 688 TVs weighing about 31,000 pounds were brought in, “which is down,” Bichler said.

The cost of the event, split between the town and village, came in at about half price due to the high value of scrap, Bichler said. The town and village each paid $1,845 last year.