The entrance to the Norway-Paris Solid Waste transfer station and recycling center at 39 Brown Street in Norway is seen Oct. 1 Employees have reported verbal abuse and profanity from residents unhappy with prices and a clear bag policy, according to the board of directors. Evan W. Houk/Advertiser Democrat

NORWAY — The Norway-Paris Solid Waste Inc. board of directors has issued a public notice citing enforcement of its code of conduct in response to verbal abuse by customers.

The transfer station and recycling center, at 39 Brown Street, “has a code of conduct that has been repeatedly ignored and therefore has resulted in its staff being verbally abused daily while just trying to do their jobs,” the notice reads.

The code of conduct posted at the transfer station asks all residents to refrain from using “profanity, abusive, or threatening behavior.”

Any resident not adhering to the code of conduct will receive one warning, and if there is another incident, the police will be notified, and the offending resident will be banned from using the transfer station for 90 days.

“The Norway Paris Solid Waste staff are simply trying to educate and enforce the inter-local agreement and ordinances that have previously been approved by both the towns of Norway and Paris under the direction of the Norway Paris Solid Waste Board of Directors,” the public notice reads.

The quasi-municipal corporation’s board of directors approved the notice at its Sept. 17 meeting after hearing from Facility Manager Tonia Pike about the rude behavior of residents dropping off rubbish. She explained how people are driving off without paying for disposal of certain items, speeding through, cursing at the staff, and verbally abusing them.

“This is a daily occurrence,” Pike said. “I’ve been called every name in the book. My staff has had enough.”

Assistant Facility Manager Robert Beckham said things have calmed down somewhat in the past few weeks since the public notice was issued.

“Everybody’s working together,” he said.

People are mostly upset about having to pay for disposal of some items and the enforcement of the clear-bag rule: Bags must be see-through.

The station sells clear bags at $6 for a 20-pack of 15-gallon and $8 for a 20-pack of 30-gallon bags.

Any non-clear bags will be assessed a $5 fee or $129 a ton, as per policy implemented in 2022.

Two years ago, the board increased disposal fees for all items, citing higher surcharge and transportation fees the station is charged for recycling.

The driveway through the station is one way and the speed limit is 5 mph.

“I think that the residents of the two towns need to understand their behavior is not acceptable,” board President Elizabeth Knox said. “Employees should never be confronted and harassed.”

Pike noted there are security cameras at the station that can help to enforce any violations by residents.

The notice was also sent to the Select Boards in Norway and Paris for review.

The board suggested that anyone with issues attend the board of directors meeting at the Paris Town Office, held on the third Tuesday of each month.

The next meeting of the Norway-Paris Solid Waste board of directors will be held at the Paris Town Office at 6 p.m. Oct. 22.