Waste Stream Taskforce
In the Summer of 2022, the Waste Stream Task Force (WSTF) was convened on behalf of the Board of Health (BOH) to review the Town’s expiring five-year contract with Waste Management and make recommendations to the BOH regarding how best to proceed. The WSTF is made up by representatives of the BOH, Select Board, Finance Committee, Recycling Committee, and Town Administrator’s office. The WSTF met numerous times between June - December 2022 before making it's recommendations to the BOH, which are captured in the December 21st letter linked below. Notably, the recommendations included a switch to an automated collection system, which is demonstrated by Waste Management in this video.
Waste Stream Task Force Letter to Board of Health - December 21, 2022
Leading up to 2023 Annual Town Meeting in May, the Town was anticipating signing a new five-year contract with Waste Management. However, negotiations between the Town and Waste Management broke down late in the process due to unforeseen cost increases described in this May 9th memorandum. Ultimately, the Town decided to accept a one-year extension with Waste Management under the current manual collection system.
In the summer of 2023, the WSTF resumed meeting with the goal of securing a new long-term contract for the Town beginning in July 2024. Given the cost savings and efficiency improvements, the WSTF made the decision early on in the process to pursue a shift to an automated collection method with the new contract. The WSTF also made the decision to put the proposal out to bid, in order to solicit a multitude of proposals from various vendors. The WSTF has also:
- Researched the Town's recent recycling cost increases and larger trends in the recycling market: September 8th Recycling Analysis Memorandum
- Conducted a Townwide survey on trash and recycling: Survey Results
The next step for the WSTF will be to finalize the RFP, which should be published before the end of calendar year 2023.
Additional Materials:
Summary of Process and Contract Extension Negotiations with Waste Management - April 4, 2023
Summary of FY19-23 Waste Management Contract and Letter of Proposal - October 5, 2022