Waste Stream Taskforce

Please review the March 8, 2024 Report of the Waste Stream Task Force for a comprehensive overview of the process undertaken by the Town to date. Additionally information from the Town regarding the implementation of the new curbside trash and recycling program will be forthcoming in the near future.

 

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 initial recommendations to the BOH, which are captured in this December 21, 2022 letter. Notably, the recommendations at that time included a switch to an automated collection system.

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. The WSTF met frequently in the fall of 2023, and as part of their discussion and analysis the WSTF:

Coming out of their fall 2023 meetings, the WSTF made the recommendation to seek a new five-year contract with a hauler that had both a reputation for outstanding customer service and the ability to meet the following conditions:

  • Implement an automated collection system, which would both be more efficient and save costs for the hauler, providing cost and service benefits to the Town; and
  • Bi-weekly collection of recycling, which would result in significant savings for the Town and residents.

While the Town’s current hauler, Waste Management, submitted a competitive offer adhering to the above conditions, the WSTF ultimately decided to enter into an agreement with a new hauler, G. Mello Disposal Corp., which is based locally out of Georgetown. G. Mello’s offer was the most advantageous to the Town financially, and their customer service was lauded by their current municipal clients in the region. The financial details of the proposal are shown in the March 8, 2024 Report of the Waste Stream Task Force.

Regarding the administration of the new curbside trash and recycling collection program with G. Mello, the following key details of the program were decided upon by the WSTF:

  • A standardized 64-gallon container will be offered for each household for disposal of trash, with a 96-gallon container offered for bi-weekly disposal of recycling.
    • The Town will purchase the standardized containers required for automated collection. These containers will be property of the Town of Boxford and are to remain with specific residences, even if ownership of the residence changes. 
  • The Town will introduce a $175 annual user fee to replace the revenue that is currently collected from trash sticker sales.
  • Households will have the ability to request multiple 64-gallon trash containers, for which they will have to pay an additional $175 annual user fee for each subsequent trash container requested.
  • Standardized “overflow bags” will be available for purchase, in the event that a household is not able to fit all of their trash within their standardized containers on any given week. These bags will be available for purchase at Town Hall at a price of $6/bag.