Like so many critical institutions that serve as the very backbone of the island’s infrastructure, Block Island Recycling Management (BIRM), a.k.a. “the transfer station” is quickly maxing out capacity with an astounding 30 tons a day regularly reached.That’s four-and-a-half times the weight of Tyrannosaurus Rex. And Rexy had 13-inch long teeth to help him grind up his prey. But here, every one of those tons has to be separated, carefully packed, and shipped off the island via trucks and then boats, at least twice per day.Not that long ago, it used to be that cardboard could be baled into small bundles and taken off the island, occasionally. Now it has to be taken off several times a week in 120-cubic-yard containers.Just a simple eyeball review of the last five years of the spread of Interstate Navigation’s “holding” area by the docks in town, along with a steadily growing fleet of ever-larger Lamb’s home delivery trucks, scurrying about till 7 or 8 p.m. should serve as a clear snapshot in time. When you are 12 to 14 miles out at sea, it’s clear the dot-com world has married convenience with financial appeal, resulting in mountains of boxes for Block
